UNDER  THE 
SOUTHERN  CR05S 


IN  SOUTH  AMERIwi 

WILLIAMSON  BUCK 

UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 
IN  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


UNDER  THE 

SOUTHERN   CROSS 

IN  SOUTH  AMERICA 


BY 
WILLIAMSON  BUCKMAN,  F.  R.  G.  S. 

u 
Author  of  "Land  of  The  Llama"  Etc. 


C  With  Illustrations  from  Photographs  by  the  Author  J 


New  York 
The  Book  Publishers'  Press 
1914 


^-^tl 


Entererd  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1914,  by 

WILLIAMSON   BUCKMAN 

in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

(All   rights   reserved.) 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 


TO 

THOSE  WHO  WILL  BE,  FOR  MY  SAKE. 

ITS  MOST  INTERESTED  READERS. 

MY    BELOVED    PARENTS. 

THIS  SIMPLE  RECORD 
OF   TROPICAL   WANDERINGS 

IS 
AFFECTIONATELY  INSCRIBED. 


THE  AUTHOR. 


.^£OR2n 


INTRODUCTION. 


Until  comparatively  recent  times — only  a  few  years  back — South 
America  was  regarded  by  the  great  majority  outside  its  conhnes 
as  the  least  known  and,  therefore,  least  understood  part  of  the 
world ;  and  North  Americans  looked  upon  it  a$  the  part  from  which 
least  might  be  expected  as  far  as  their  own  interests  were  concerned. 

Journalists  and  newspaper  men  were  accustomed  to  picture  it 
as  a  mysterious  land  whose  chief  productions  were  deadly  fevers 
and  frequent  insurrections.  Indeed,  in  most  cases,  when  the  press 
mentioned  it  the  purpose  was  only  to  chronicle  some  sanguinary 
revolution  or  outburst  of  border  warfare. 

Several  reasons  contributed  to  keep  South  America  in  the  back- 
ground and  leave  it  an  unappreciated  and  neglected  continent.  In 
the  first  place  its  situation  was  against  its  becoming  more  familiar 
to  northern  lands.  It  stretches  to  the  Far  South,  entirely  away 
from  the  usual  lines  of  travel  and  the  beaten  paths  of  the  ordinary 
tourist.  Few  Americans  have  inclination  or  time  to  make  personal 
acquaintance  with  the  peoples  and  countries  below  the  northern 
rim  of  the  earth,  where  the  Southern  Cross  shimmers  overhead 
and  where  Christmas  comes  in  the  heat  of  summer  and  July  the 
Fourth  occurs  in  the  middle  of  winter. 

In  the  next  place  our  Monroe  Doctrine  kept  foreign  hands  ofif 
this  section  of  the  Western  Hemisphere ;  it  prevented  the  European 
Powers  from  making  it  a  battle-ground  for  the  acquisition  of  new 
territory ;  hence,  no  diplomatic  problems  presented  themselves  for 
solution  to  bring  the  country  to  public  attention, — it  was  kept 
isolated,  as  it  were,  from  foreign  entanglements,  a  good  thing  in 
one  way,  but  harmful  in  another,  as  relegating  it  to  its  own  obscurity. 

In  the  third  place  the  ephemeral  revolutions  did  not  jeopardize 
in  general  the  lives  or  property  of  foreigners,  and  consequently,  our 
State  Department  w^as  not  called  upon  to  interfere  in  the  settle- 
ment of  domestic  or  foreign  claims ;  it  is  only  very  lately  that  its 
aid  has  been  invoked  in  this  respect. 


VI  INTRODUCTION. 

On  account  of  these  reasons  the  people  of  the  Northern  republic 
of  the  United  States  remained  more  or  less  ignorant  of  the  geogra- 
phy, area,  population,  value,  possibilities  and  general  conditions 
of  the  great  land  to  the  south  of  them,  and  it  was  left  to  work 
out  its  own  destiny  in  practically  its  own  way. 

An  additional  explanation  of  the  lack  of  knowledge  in  regard 
to  it  may  be  found  in  the  fact,  that  North  American  Protestant 
Societies  have  been  unable  to  a  great  extent  to  establish  missions. 
As  a  general  rule  publicity  and  commerce  follow  in  the  wake  of 
such  missions.  Many  believe  there  is  an  inviting  field  for  the 
Protestant  missionary  down  there  but  such  belief  is  in  the  minds  of 
only  those  who  do  not  understand  the  real  situation.  The  Roman 
Church  has  been  established  so  long  and  has  gained  such  a  hold  on 
the  people,  naturally  inclined  to  old-time  institutions  and  traditinris, 
that  it  is  next  to  impossible  for  Protestantism  to  get  a  foothold. 
Of  course,  there  are  defections  from  the  Church  of  Rome,  but 
Protestantism  has  gained  little  or  nothing  thereby.  True,  a  few 
Protestant  churches  have  been  established  but  the  membership 
thereof  for  the  most  part  is  foreign,  not  native.  As  I  have  said  in 
the  chapter  on  Lima,  Evangelistic  bodies  waste  time  and  money  in 
trying  to  make  converts. 

Geographical  knowledge  in  our  time  has  made  mighty  progress 
and  the  kinship  of  the  world  is  getting  closer  every  day.  Now, 
South  America  is  gaining  recognition,  and  the  opening  of  the  Pa- 
nama Canal,  no  doubt,  will  bring  it  to  a  mature  development  among 
the  leading  nations.  Latin  America,  as  it  is  frequently  called,  will 
soon  be  a  very  important  integer  in  the  sum  total  of  All  America.  It 
presents  unusual  promise  and  splendid  possibilities  which  cannot 
fail  to  be  realized.  There  is  no  part  of  the  world  where  foreign 
capital  and  skill  are  offered  so  great  an  opportunity  as  in  the  south- 
ern countries  of  this  continent.  South  America  to-day,  probably, 
presents  larger  opportunities  for  the  legitimate  expansion  of  our 
commerce  than  any  other  country  or  group  of  countries.  All  parts 
of  it  in  the  very  near  future  will  want  our  products  in  greatly 
increased  quantities  and  we  shall  correspondingly  need  theirs. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  nine  millions  of  square  miles  are 
occupied  by  South  America,  so  it  is  easy  to  imagine  the  vast  trade 
possibilities  of  this  section  of  the  Western  Hemisphere.  The 
United  States  has  but  three  million  square  miles,  therefore,  Latin 
America  has  three  times  the  area  of  our  own  country,  instead  of 
being,   as   some   one   has   expressed    it,    "a   mere   handful   of   little 


INTRODUCTION.  VII 

warring  republics."  When  it  is  borne  in  mind  that  all  the  United 
States  proper  could  be  placed  inside  of  Brazil,  and  then  leave  a 
space  of  about  200,000  square  miles,  the  reader  can  form  some  idea 
of  the  vastness  of  the  countries  of  the  southern  continent. 

The  awakening  of  South  America  dates  back  but  a  comparatively 
short  time,  as  already  intimated,  yet  its  progress  has  been  marvelous. 
Millions  upon  millions  of  dollars  have  been  spent  on  municipal 
and  sanitary  improvements  and  in  beautifying  and  making  healthy 
the  towns  and  cities.  In  some  of  the  large  centers,  like  Rio,  for 
example,  malarial  and  yellow  fevers  have  been  stamped  out  almost, 
and  the  death-rate  lowered  to  a  remarkable  degree.  Such  cleanli- 
ness as  is  observed  in  the  public  streets  of  Rio  and  some  other 
cities  reminds  one  forcibly  of  the  boulevards  of  Paris. 

The  South  American  of  to-day  is  not  by  any  means  content  to 
sit  idly  by  and  be  satisfied  with  the  incidental  benefits  which  may 
come  to  him  or  his  country,  through  the  exploitation  of  its  natural 
resources  by  foreign  capital  and  energy.  He  intends  to  play  the 
game  himself,  and  in  order  to  do  so  successfully  he  has  been  learn- 
ing its  rules  and  strategy ;  and  in  consequence  South  America  is 
now  on  the  verge  of  a  forward  movement  which  will  before  long 
astonish  the  world. 

The  relations  of  the  United  States  with  the  South  American  re- 
publics were  never  more  friendly  than  now,  and  North  American 
prestige  and  trade  in  Central  and  South  America  demands  that 
while  friendly  relations  exist,  a  strong  effort  should  be  put  forth 
to  strengthen  and  cement  those  relations  by  every  means  in  our 
power. 

The  late  visit  of  ex-President  Roosevelt,  and  also  the  visits  of 
former  Secretary  Root,  and  present  Secretary  Bryan  have  awakened 
considerable  interest  in  both  countries,  and  it  would  be  well  if  some 
other  government  officials  were  to  make  similar  visits  more  often. 
They  would  inspire  our  people,  our  newspapers,  our  legislators  and 
travelers  to  a  new  and  more  active  appreciation  of  Latin-American 
republics.  The  above-mentioned  visitors,  through  their  speeches 
and  personalities  accomplished  more  in  the  few  months  they  were 
there  to  bring  about  a  new  era  of  conditions  and  good-will  between 
this  country  and  our  southern  neighbors  than  all  the  diplomatic  cor- 
respondence and  visits  of  promoters  and  exploiters  in  a  whole 
century. 

In  travelling  in  South  America,  the  tourist  who  can  speak  three 
or  four  different  languages,  will  find  himself  more  appreciated  than 


VIII  INTRODUCTION. 

the  man  who  can  only  speak  one  beside  his  own.  The  power  of 
a  knowledge  of  languages  is  mighty.  Kinship  in  this  respect  brings 
men  closer  together,  and  makes  them  sympathetic.  This  counts 
for  much  in  Latin  countries.  Spanish  is  the  common  tongue  of  all 
South  America,  except  Brazil,  which  has  a  population  of  nearly 
twenty  millions  and  where  Portuguese  is  the  chief  language,  Spanish 
being  seldom  heard  among  its  people.  A  good  knowledge  of  French 
will  carry  a  visitor  through  all  parts  of  South  America,  including 
Brazil,  but  if  he  can  speak  some  other  languages  as  well  his  welcome 
will  be  the  more  assured. 

In  the  following  account  of  my  travels  in  South  America  under 
the  Southern  Cross,  I  will  take  my  readers  to  Jamaica,  in  the 
West  Indies,  through  the  Caribbean  Sea,  past  the  haunts  of  the 
buccaneers  to  Panama.  Then  we  will  make  our  way  along  the 
western  coast  of  South  America  to  Lima,  the  famous  capital  of 
Peru.  Having  satisfied  our  curiosity  in  the  lowlands  of  Peru 
we  ascend  from  sea-level  to  the  roof  of  that  wonderful  country 
over  the  highest  railroad  in  the  world.  Returning  to  Lima  we  re- 
sume our  journey  from  there  to  Arequipa  in  Southern  Peru,  and 
so  on  to  Cuzco,  the  Incan  capital.  A  branch  line  from  here  takes 
us  up  to  Lake  Titicaca,  the  highest  navigable  water  in  the  world. 
From  these  great  heights  we  descend  to  Bolivia  and  view  wonderful 
La  Paz,  the  most  picturesque  Indian  city  on  earth.  Sailing 
along  the  Chilean  coast  we  reach  Valparaiso,  the  New  York  of  the 
Pacific,  and  from  thence  proceed  to  Santiago,  the  capital  of  Chile. 
From  here  we  take  a  long  and  memorable  ride  by  rail  over  the 
Andes  and  thence  to  Buenos  Aires,  the  largest  and  most  cosmopol- 
itan city  of  South  America.  Montevideo,  with  its  beautiful  coast 
scenery,  is  our  next  destination.  Lastly  we  visit  Rio  and  other 
Brazilian  centers  of  interest,  thus  finishing  a  long,  and  let  me  hope, 
instructive  trip  over  the  principal  highways  and  through  the  chief 
cities  and  towns  of  the  great  southern  continent.  We  say  adios  to 
all,  then  turn  our  faces  to  the  North  and  Home. 


WILLIAMSON  BUCKMAN. 


Trenton,  N.  J., 
October,  1914. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Chapter  I. 
Jamaica,  "Flower  of  the  Antilles''  1 

Chapter  II. 
Where  Buccaneers  Held  Sway 38 

Chapter  III. 
Digging  the  Big  Ditch 50 

Chapter  IV. 
Panama  to  Lima  64 

Chapter  V. 
Lima,  the  Capital  of  Peru 102 

Chapter  VI. 

The  Highest  Railroad  in  the  World  128 

Chapter  VII. 
In  Southern  Peru 152 

Chapter  VIII. 
On  to  the  Incan  Capital 175 

Chapter  IX. 
Sailing  Above  the  Clouds 229 

Chapter  X. 
In  Wonderful  La  Paz  242 

Chapter  XL 
From  Mollendo  t6  Valparaiso 288 

Chapter  XII . 
In  Busy  Valparaiso   306 

Chapter  XIII. 
The  Capital  of  Chile 327 


XII  CONTENTS. 

Chapter  XIV. 
Crossing  the  Andes 350 

Chapter  XV. 
The  Capital  of  the  Argentine 368 

Chapter  XVI. 
Montevideo  and  Along  the  Coast 397 

Chapter  XVII. 
In  Rio  de  Janeiro   414 

Chapter  XVIII . 

Around  and  About  Rio  457 

Index    471 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


The    Author    Frontispiece     Page 

"Remember  the  Maine"    3 

Morro  Castle,  Havana 3 

Maine  Street,  Havana 5 

The  Arcades,  Havana   5 

Cathedral,  Havana 9 

Marti  Park,  Havana   9 

On  San  Juan  Hill,  Cuba 11 

Harbor  Scene,  Port  Antonio,  Jamaica  15 

Early  Morning,  Port  Antonio   15 

"Little  Rosie,"  Port  Antonio 19 

The  Author,  Port  Antonio 19 

Blue  Hole,  near  Port  Antonio   23 

Main  Street,  Kingston,  Before  Earthquake 23 

Terrible  Havoc  of  Earthquake   27 

Among  the  Ruins,  Kingston 27 

Main  Street,  a  Year  After  Earthquake 29 

En  Route  to  Market,  Kingston  29 

Constant  Springs,  near  Kingston 33 

Old  Church,  Spanish  Town,  Jamaica 33 

A  Typical  Scene,  Jamaica   35 

Author  under  the  Palms,  Jamaica   35 

Street  Scene,  Cristobal,  Colon 41 

Suburb  of  Colon 41 

Columbus  Statue  and  De  Lesseps  Cottage,  Colon 47 

Home  of  Negro  Laborers,  Canal  Zone 47 

Culebra  Cut,  Panama   ( 1908)    53 

Drilling  on  Culebra  Cut  (1908)    53 

Gang  of  Drillers  on  the  Isthmus 59 

Chinese  Vender  on  the  Isthmus   59 

Life  on  Shipboard,  West  Coast 65 

Preparing  to  Load  Steer  on  the  Hiiasco  69 

A  Few  Minutes  Later 69 

Guayaquil,  Ecuador   7^ 

Waterfront,  Guayaquil    77 

Cathedral,    Guayaquil    81 


XIV  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Treeless  Payta,   Peru    85 

Another  Treeless  Town,  West  Coast 85 

Bamboo  Houses  and  Sand  Street,  Payta 87 

A  Street  Scene,  Payta   87 

Dried  FisH  Market,  Payta 91 

Custom  House,  Payta  91 

On  the  Plaza,  Payta,  "the  Only  Bit  of  Green" 95 

Cathedral  and  Plaza,  Payta  95 

Water-Carrier,   Payta    97 

"Little  Perla"  from  Payta 97 

Harbor  Scene,  Callao   99 

Suburb  of   Callao    99 

Cathedral,  Lima   105 

Facade  of  Cathedral,  Lima   105 

Cathedral  and  Plaza,  Lima 109 

Distant  View  of  Cathedral  and  Plaza,  Lima 109 

Street  Scene,  Lima 113 

Rimac  River  at  Lima 113 

Milk  Peddler,  Lima 117 

Bull  Ring,  Lima  117 

Bolivar  Statue,  Lima,  Author  and  Friends  125 

Quebrada  Chaupichoca-Oroya,  Peru 131 

Scene  from  Oroya  R.  R.,  Rimac  River 135 

Andean  Plateau,  en  route  to  Cuzco 139 

Foothills  of  the  Andes  from  Mollendo   139 

Indians  at  Home,  Cuzco 143 

Indian  Types,  Andean  Highlands 143 

Indian  in  Poncho  Carrying  Rug 149 

Bit  of  Mollendo  Harbor   155 

Cathedral,   Mollendo    155 

A  Quiet  Chat,  Arequipa  157 

Indians  at  a  Station,  Spinning 157 

"Chicha"  Sellers  161 

Mt.  El  Misti  (19,200  ft.)  from  Arequipa 161 

Sand  Crescents,  Desert  of  Islay 163 

Bleak  Foothills  of  Andes  163 

Business  Street,  Arequipa,  Showing  Cathedral 167 

Street  and  Church  Facade,  Arequipa 167 

Llamas,  Cuzco 169 

Indians  in  Ponchos,  Arequipa   169 

Cathedral  and  Plaza,  Arequipa 173 

A  Beautiful  Fagade,  Arequipa 173 

Patio  of  Hotel  Ratti,  Juliaca,  Showing  Author's  Room.  . .  .  177 

Indians  Dining,  Nature's  "Knives  and  Forks" 177 

Native  Porters,  Cuzco 179 

Small  Indian  Shop,  Cuzco 179 

Water-jar  Carriers,  Cuzco   181 

Quaint  Signs  of  Indian  Shops 181 

Quichua  Woman  With  Baby  185 


ILLUSTRATIONS  XV 

Incan  Fountain  and  Water-Carriers    185 

Incan  Wall,  Cuzco 187 

"Seats  of  the  Incas,"  Overlooking  Sacsahuaman  Fortress. .  187 

Spanish  Doorway,  Cuzco 191 

Terrace  of  Colcompata,  Beheading  Stone  in  Foreground.  .  .  191 

Main  Entrance,  Sacsahuaman  Fortress   193 

General  View  of  Sacsahuaman 193 

Another  View  of  Sacsahuaman" 195 

One  of  the  Salients,  Sacsahuaman 195 

Massive  Stone,  Sacsahuaman,  Author 199 

Cyclopean  Wall,  Palace  of  Inca  Rocca,  Cuzco 199 

Incan  Wall,  Showing  Snake  Ornament 201 

"Little  Rosita,"  at  12-Sided  Stone,  Cuzco   201 

Incan  Terrace  Wall  Above  Cuzco 203 

Author,  Plaza  del  Cabildo,  Cuzco 207 

Plaza  and  Market  from  Cathedral  Steps,  Cuzco 207 

Cathedral  and  La  Compania  Church,  Cuzco 209 

Jesuit  Church  and  University,  Cuzco 209 

Santa  Domingo  Church,  Site  of  Sun  Temple,  Cuzco 211 

Cloisters  of  Santo  Domingo  Church 211 

Corner  Cross  Near  Santo  Domingo  Church  213 

Market  Scene  Before  Cathedral,  Cuzco 213 

La  Merced  Church,  Church  Cuzco 217 

Court  of  La  Merced  Monastery 217 

Arcade  and  Balconies,  Main  Square,  Cuzco 219 

Picturesque   Spanish   Gate,   Cuzco    219 

A  Picturesque  Patio,  Cuzco 221 

In  Front  of  Hotel  del  Commercio 221 

Strange  Companions,  Cuzco 225 

Again  in  Company,  Cuzco 225 

Llamas,  Main  Square,  Cuzco    227 

Getting  Ready  for  Market,  Cuzco 227 

Steamer  Coya,  Lake  Titicaca 231 

Sunset,  Lake  Titicaca 235 

Descendant  of  a  People  Who  Ruled  This  Land   239 

Bird's-eye  View  of  La  Paz 243 

An  Indian  Group,  La  Paz 243 

Aymara  Indians,  La  Paz   247 

Chola  Woman  and  Baby,  La  Paz 247 

Chola  Girls  Going  to  Market,  La  Paz 249 

Market  Scene  Before  Cathedral,  La  Paz 249 

Sunday  Market  Scene,  La  Paz  251 

Indian  Costumes,  Market,  La  Paz 251 

Chola  Girl  Leaving  Cathedral,  La  Paz 255 

Old  Spanish  Residence,  La  Paz 255 

Gateway,  Niche  Cemetery,  La  Paz 257 

In  Niche  Cemetery,  La  Paz 257 

At  the  Fountain,  La  Paz 259 

Jug-Filling  at  Fountain,  La  Paz 259 


XVI  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Selling  *'Chuno"  or  Frozen  Potatoes,  La  Paz 263 

An  Outskirt  of  La  Paz 263 

Village  of  Obrajes,  Near  La  Paz 265 

Roadside  Scene,  Obrajes 265 

Group  of  Llamas,  Obrajes 269 

Indians  at  Home,  Tiahuanaco   269 

Author  at  Entrance  to  Underground  Passage,  Tiahuanaco.  .  271 

Stairway  of  Kalasasaya  Palace,  Tiahuanaco  271 

Monolithic  Doorway  of  Old  Cemetery,  Tiahuanaco 273 

Monolithic  Gateway,  Tiahuanaco 273 

Cathedral  at  Tiahuanaco 275 

A  Reminder  of  the  Past   277 

Author  at  Incan  Idol,  Tiahuanaco 281 

Monolithic  Idol,  Ruins  of  Tiahuanaco 281 

Indian  Girl  Spinning,  Ruins  of  Tiahuanaco 283 

Poncho  Weaving,  Tiahuanaco   283 

View  of  Guaqui   285 

Tin  and  Silver  Ore,  Guaqui   285 

Mollendo,  Peru,  Roughest  Harbor  on  West  Coast 289 

Thinking  of  Other  Days 289 

Guano-Covered  Rocks  off  Coast  of  Chile 295 

Tocopilla,   Chile    299 

La  Serena,  Chile 303 

Harbor  View,  Valparaiso 309 

Valparaiso  and  Harbor  309 

Old  Houses,  Valparaiso 315 

A  Ravine,  Valparaiso   315 

Niche  Cemetery,  Valparaiso 321 

Training  Ship,  Naval  College,  Valparaiso 321 

Naval  Monument,  Valparaiso 325 

Bird's-eye  View  of  Santiago  from  Santa  Lucia 329 

Avenida  Delicias,  Santiago 329 

Another  View  from  Santa  Lucia 333 

Santa  Lucia  Park    333 

The  Alameda,  Santiago    339 

Ladies  in  Mantas,  Santiago 339 

Cathedral  from  Plaza  des  Armes,  Santiago 343 

Congressional  Building,  Santiago 343 

Female  Conductors,  Santiago 347 

Before  the   Railroad    355 

Volcano  of  Cotopaxi  in  Eruption 357 

"Christ  the  Redeemer" 363 

Bird's-eye  View  of  Buenos  Aires  from  La  Prensa 371 

Looking  from  La  Prensa  Dome   371 

Avenida  de  Mayo,  Buenos  Aires 375 

Calle  Florida,  Buenos  Aires    375 

Plaza  Victoria,  Buenos  Aires 379 

Capital  and  Congressional  Building,  Buenos  Aires 379 

Picturesque  Fountain,  Buenos  Aires 383 


ILLUSTRATIONS  XVII 

Tomb  of  Bel^rano,  Buenos  Aires  383 

"We  Must  Walk,  Others  Can  Ride" 387 

In  the  Zoological  Gardens,  Buenos  Aires 387 

Lazama  Park,  Buenos  Aires 391 

A  Delightful  Walk,  Lazama  Park   391 

Palermo  Park,  Buenos  Aires   395 

El  Tigre  River,  Buenos  Aires v395 

Plaza  de  la  Constitucion,  Montevideo 399 

Harbor  Front,  Santos,  Brazil 407 

Santos,  Brazil   407 

Unloading  Coffee,  Santos   411 

The  Cathedral,  Santos 411 

Bird's-eye  View  of  Rio  de  Janeiro 415 

Rio  from  Gloria  Hill    415 

Beira  Mar  Showing  Sugar  Loaf,  Rio 417 

Street  Scene,  Rio   417 

An  Old  Dwelling  on  Castle  Hill,  Rio 421 

Over  Red  Roofs  and  Thro'  Tall  Palms  421 

Santa  Anna  Church,  Rio   423 

Hotel  International,  Santa  Thereza,  Rio 423 

Royal  Palms,  "Corinthian  Architecture,"  Rio 427 

Royal  Palms,  Botanic  Garden,  Rio 427 

Dom  Pedro  Monument,  Rio   429 

A  Bread-Fruit  Tree,  Rio   433 

Street-Hucksters,  Rio    433 

"From  House  to  House  He  Goes,"  Rio 435 

A  Chicken  Peddler,  Rio   439 

"Chickens  for  Sale" — Another  Style   439 

"Dulces"   Peddler,   Rio    441 

"Sweet   Drinks,"   Rio    441 

"Not  All  Is  Carried  on  Foot,"  Rio 445 

Quaint  Street  Vender,  Rio 445 

Front  of  a  Drink  Shop,  Rio 447 

The  Monroe  Palace,  Avenida  Central,  Rio 447 

Good  Type  of  Negress,  Rio   451 

Broom  and  Basket  Peddler,  Rio   451 

"Scissors  to  Grind,"  Rio , 453 

Fish  Vender,  Rio 453 

View  from  Curvello,  Rio,  showing  Sugar  Loaf 459 

En  Route  to  Corcovado,  Rio   ...  -^^9 

Gate  of  Carioca  Aqueduct,  Rio 465 

At  Top  of  Corcovado,  Rio 465 


UNDER  THE 

SOUTHERN  CROSS 

IN  SOUTH  AMERICA. 


CHAPTER  I 
JAMAICA 

"flower  of  the  Antilles" 

Annually,  during  the  summer  months,  and  even  at  other  seasons, 
thousands  of  Americans  rush  off  from  their  own  shores  to  feast 
their  eyes  on  the  boasted  beauties  of  faraway  lands,  which  have 
been  chronicled  in  song  and  story  for  centuries  and  depicted  on 
canvas  by  the  master  spirits  of  successive  ages.  From  childhood 
they  have  heard  and  read  of  these  places,  they  have  longed  to  see 
them  for  themselves,  so  when  opportunity  comes  to  gratify  the  long- 
ing they  eagerly  embrace  it  and  start  off  with  high  hopes  and  keen 
anticipations  of  the  delights  which,  they  believe,  await  their  coming. 

They  wander  in  the  nooks  and  byways  of  old  Europe,  from  the 
banks  of  the  Thames  to  the  banks  of  the  Volga,  from  the  capes  of 
Italy  to  the  bluffs  of  Lapland ;  they  ramble  through  romantic  Spain, 
vivacious  France,  classic  Germany,  and  rugged  Switzerland.  With 
bounding  hearts  they  sail  down  the  placid  waters  of  the  blue  Rhine, 
frowning  fels  and  castled  crags  towering  on  either  side;  they  gaze 
with  wonder  and  awe  on  the  majestic  Alps,  on  Mont  Blanc,  "the 
monarch  of  mountains,"  lifting  his  snow-capped  head  amid  the  rack 
of  clouds;  they  skim  the  sunkissed  waves  of  the  murmuring  Medi- 
terranean, and  glide  into  the  Bay  of  Naples,  above  which  Vesuvius, 
like  a  fiery  sentinel,  rears  his  lava  crest  against  the  cloudless  cerulean 

1 


2  INL-ER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

sky.  Imperial  Rome,  with  her  crumbHng  ruins,  the  Forum  and  the 
Colisseum,  has  many  a  charm  for  them ;  ancient  Greece,  with  hoary 
Athens,  and  the  AcropoHs,  still  standing  to  testify  to  the  splendors 
of  a  long-dead  past,  engage  their  attention,  till,  turning  eastward 
to  the  land  of  the  Turk  and  the  home  of  the  Cossack,  they  bid 
adieu  to  Europe  and  pass  over  into  Asia.  There  Palestine  hallowed 
by  the  footsteps  of  prophets  and  apostles  and  sanctified  by  the 
Redeemer  of  men,  appeals  to  the  fundamental  instincts  of  their 
nature.  Nazareth,  Bethlehem,  Gethsemane,  Mount  of  Olives,  and 
above  all,  Jerusalem — theatre  of  the  world's  greatest  tragedy,  and 
arena  of  the  world's  greatest  triumph — are  taken  in  their  order. 
Still  continuing  East — Arabia,  Persia,  and  the  valley  of  the 
Euphrates  and  Tigris,  are  reached.  Occult  India,  with  its  temples, 
pagodas,  and  sacred  streams;  ''Ceylon's  lovely  isle,  where  every 
prospect  pleases  and  only  man  is  vile";  the  Orient — Cathay — "jeal- 
ous China,  strange  Japan,"  with  their  sun-temples  and  flowers  and 
mysticism, — all  have  their  attractions  for  the  untiring  tourist.  The 
dreamy  Philippines  and  Australia,  lying  directly  under  the  shim- 
mering stars  of  the  Southern  Cross  are  not  neglected.  Then  back 
by  the  smiling  islands  of  the  'Taradise  of  the  Pacific" — back  to  great 
America,  the  ''land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave,"  and  the 
American  tourist  feels  he  has  seen  all  that  the  Old  World  has  to 
show  him.  Thus  is  the  circle  of  the  earth  completed  by  many  Ameri- 
can globe-trotters. 

Is  the  game  worth  the  candle?  Does  the  sight-seeing  repay  for 
the  fatigues  and  inconveniences  of  travel,  not  to  speak  of  the  time 
spent  and  expense  incurred  in  "doing"  foreign  lands?  What  is  to 
be  seen  abroad  that  is  so  widely  different  from  what  we  can  look 
upon  at  home? 

After  all,  the  world  is  but  a  small  place,  and  one  country  is  much 
the  same  as  another;  the  difference  is  only  a  matter  of  climate  and 
season.  Earth,  sky  and  water  are  non-variants.  The  grass  is  just 
as  green  in  America  and  the  ethereal  dome  as  blue  as  elsewhere. 
Our  mountains  and  plains,  lakes  and  rivers  and  natural  landscapes 
can  very  favorably  compare  with  those  of  any  other  continent.  Our 
cities  and  towns  may  not  be  quite  as  old,  nor  yet  as  solid  in  regard 
to  masonry;  but  in  architectural  splendor  they  can  easily  vie  with 
and  even  surpass  the  boasted  piles  of  other  lands.  Of  course,  we 
have  not  the  historic  associations  of  older  civilizations,  but  apart 
from  this  consideration,  our  own  country  can  rival  any  other.  We 
have  enough  at  our  own  doors  to  engross  attention  and  arouse  en- 


REMEMBER  THE   MAINE" 


MORRO    CASTLE.   HAVANA 


MAIN    STREET,    HAVANA 


THE   ARCADES,    HAVANA 


•'FLOWER  OF  THE  ANTILLES''  > 

thusiasm, — why  turn  our  backs  to  it  and  seek  far-off  shores  ? 

A  mountain,  when  Hmned  against  the  perspective  of  the  far  hori- 
zon appears  blue  and  of  magnificent  proportions,  with  its  contour 
standing  out  in  bold  relief  against  the  skyline,  but  on  near  approach 
it  loses  much  of  its  impressiveness,  and  finally,  when  we  reach  it, 
we  find  it  dull  and  uninteresting,  nothing  more  than  stones  and 
boulders  and  stunted  vegetation. 

It  is  the  same  with  many  foreign  resorts.  We  conceive  them  as 
places  of  beauty  and  interest,  but  when  we  visit  them  they  fall  far 
short  of  our  expectations. 

Within  our  own  confines  and  around  our  coasts  are  sights  and  at- 
tractions quite  as  worthy  of  visiting  as  any  the  Eastern  Hemisphere 
can  offer  from  a  scenic  standpoint. 

Of  all  the  regions  adjacent  to  the  United  States,  probably  none 
are  more  attractive  or  present  such  varied  scenes  of  both  natural 
and  artificial  beauty  as  the  lands  lying  in  and  around  the  green 
waters  of  the  Caribbean  Sea. 

From  the  islands  of  the  West  Indies,  with  their  teeming  hetero- 
geneous population  of  Spaniards,  English,  Negroes  and  Indians, 
to  the  lowlands  of  Central  America,  where,  in  the  primeval  soli- 
tudes of  the  dense  wilderness  the  voices  of  humankind  are  all  but 
unknown,  we  find  truly  a  variety  to  please  the  tastes  of  all. 

These  lands  in  their  emerald  settings  present  for  consideration  a 
great  many  natural  contrasts  in  snow-capped  mountains,  temperate 
uplands,  broad  savannas,  grassy  plains  and  plateaus,  open  valleys, 
dense  jungles,  and  mighty  rivers  rushing  their  muddy  waters  on- 
ward to  the  sea.  As  for  natural  products,  they  yield  everything 
known  to  the  American  tropics. 

There  is  a  strong  commerce,  even  under  present  conditions. 
With  the  opening  of  the  Isthmian  Canal  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
trade  will  get  such  an  impetus  as  will  give  these  islands  and  Carib- 
bean countries  a  very  prominent  place  in  the  traffic  and  barter  of  the 
nations.  There  will  also  be  an  influx  of  immigration.  Many  will 
turn  to  the  South,  looking  for  business  in  the  cities ;  and  many,  too, 
will  penetrate  into  the  wilderness  with  a  view  to  development  or 
for  the  purpose  of  seeking  the  products  they  supply. 

Of  the  West  Indies,  Cuba  has  been  the  most  prominent  in  the 
public  eye.  Trampled  for  centuries  under  the  iron  heel  of  Spain, 
at  length,  thanks  to  the  United  States,  the  island  is  arising  grad- 
ually from  an  inglorious  past  and  will  be  eventually  able  to  work 
out  its  own  salvation. 


6  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Cuba  has  been  poetically  styled  "the  Pearl  of  the  Antilles/*  the 
group  which  also  includes  Haiti,  Porto  Rico,  and  Jamaica.  If,  on 
account  of  delicate  tracery  of  landscape  and  general  color  scheme, 
such  a  name  can  be  fittingly  applied  to  this,  the  largest  island  of 
the  group,  Jamaica  is  no  less  worthy  to  be  styled  "the  Flower  of 
the  Antilles,''  for,  as  regards  arborage,  foliage,  vegetation  and  horti- 
cultural loveliness,  this  little  bit  of  the  British  Dominions,  lying  at 
Uncle  Sam's  side-door,  only  ninety  miles  south  of  Cuba,  by  far 
eclipses  all  the  other  lands  of  the  Caribbean.  Its  flora  is  rich,  rare, 
and  varied,  including  the  wilder  growths  of  the  Temperate  Zone 
with  all  the  gorgeous  luxuriance  of  the  Tropics,  and  its  vegetable 
and  mineral  resources  are  abundant. 

Jamaica  has  the  oldest  history  of  any  of  the  larger  islands.  It 
was  discovered  by  Columbus  on  his  second  western  voyage  in 
May,  1494.  It  was  taken  possession  of  and  settled  by  the  Spaniards 
in  1509.  Under  their  despotic  sway  the  natives  dwindled  fast  away 
until,  by  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  with  the  exception 
of  the  Maroons  (runaway  slaves),  they  were  totally  extinct.  Some 
of  these  half-breed  descendants  of  the  old  natives  still  survive. 

In  May,  1655,  a  British  expedition  under  Admirals  Penn  and 
Venables  captured  the  island,  and  Great  Britain  was  confirmed  in 
possession  by  the  Treaty  of  Madrid  in  1670.  The  British,  on  be- 
coming masters,  quickly  realized  the  possibilities  of  the  sugar  plan- 
tations, and,  to  cultivate  the  latter,  great  numbers  of  Negroes  were 
imported  from  the  African  slave-stations.  In  six  years,  between 
1780  and  1786,  more  than  600,000  blacks  were  bought  and  brought 
over  by  Englishmen  for  a  life  of  slavery  in  this  island.  These 
slaves  were  treated  with  merciless  severity,  much  worse  than  those 
under  the  Southern  planters  on  the  American  mainland.  Often 
they  were  goaded  to  desperation  by  their  cruel  taskmasters  and 
on  several  occasions  during  the  eighteenth  century,  they  rose  in 
open  rebellion  against  the  white  tyranny,  but  superior  physical 
force  and  the  munitions  of  their  taskmasters  quickly  subdued  them. 

At  length  the  eyes  of  civilization  began  to  look  with  angry  glances 
on  Negro  slavery  in  Jamaica.  Several  of  the  home  statesmen  be- 
came ashamed,  spoke  bitterly  against  it,  and  arraigned  their  own 
country  in  the  pillory  of  public  scorn.  Wilberforce  denounced  the 
slavery  in  withering  scorn;  Gladstone,  then  a  young  man,  spoke  out 
against  it  in  no  uncertain  tones ;  Daniel  O'Connell  thundered  his 
Irish  invectives  against  the  "damnable  system."  American  states- 
men, too,  said,  "British  West  Indian  slavery  must  stop." 


C'Al  HKDRAL,    HA\  A.\A 


MARTI    PARK.    HAVANA,    FORMERLY    CENTRAL    PARK 


"l^LOWER  OF  THE  ANTILLES'^  13 

The  Negro  insurrection  of  1831  hastened  the  approach  of  eman- 
cipation. In  1833  the  Emancipation  Act  was  passed,  providing  for 
the  total  extinction  of  slavery  in  the  island  after  August  1,  1838. 
The  Act  awarded  some  thirty  million  dollars  as  compensation  to 
the  slaveholders. 

Still,  after  this  time  there  were  much  bickering  and  conflicts 
between  the  blacks  and  whites,  and  in  1865  another  formidable 
insurrection  took  place.  As  a  result  the  old  Parliamentary  Govern- 
ment was  abolished  in  1866  and  the  island  reduced  to  the  grade  of 
a  Crown  Colony.  Representative  government  was  re-established 
in  1884.  The  ruler  is  a  governor  appointed  by  the  Crown,  who  is 
assisted  by  an  elected  council. 

The  population  of  the  island  is  about  800,000,  of  whom  more 
than  one-half  are  black.  There  are  over  120,000  half-breeds,  120,000 
Indians,  some  50,000  coolies,  and  the  remainder,  consisting  of  a 
little  more  than  20,000,  are  whites,  chiefly  English.  The  princi- 
pal exports  are  sugar,  tobacco,  rum,  cofifee,  bananas  and  dyewoods. 

There  are  some  very  fine  agricultural  districts.  A  great  part  of 
the  soil  is  formed  by  sedimentary  deposits  derived  from  the  red  and 
white  limestone  formations  from  the  primitive  granite  that  forms 
the  main  structure  of  the  island.  Some  200,000  acres  are  under 
tillage  and  400,000  acres  in  pasture.  About  one-seventh  of  the  til- 
lage is  devoted  to  sugar  and  cofifee  plantations.  The  growing  of 
sugar-cane  being  no  longer  profitable,  the  banana  has  now  taken 
its  place.  The  whole  area  of  the  island  is  about  4,200  square  miles ; 
its  length  144  miles,  and  its  greatest  width  50  miles.  The  coast 
is  indented  with  small  harbors  and  inlets. 

The  climate  is  humid  and  warm  at  the  sea,  but  in  the  interior  or 
high  regions  it  is  mild  and  dry,  and  is  said  to  be  well  adapted  for 
those  suffering  from  pulmonary  affections. 

Education  is  very  well  looked  after  in  Jamaica.  There  are  more 
than  800  elementary  schools,  while  a  university,  college,  and  high 
school  at  Hope,  near  Kingston,  provide  for  the  higher  branches  of 
learning. 

This  really  interesting  little  island  is  within  a  short  sail  from  our 
shores  and  will  well  repay  a  visit  in  the  experiences  gained. 

With  modern  conveniences  in  our  advanced  stage  of  navigation, 
going  South  is  now  a  very  easy  and  pleasant  journey.  Swift  and 
comfortable  steamers  leave  New  York  at  regular  intervals.  The 
traveler  on  his  way  can  watch  at  his  ease  the  colors  of  the  ocean 


14  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

change  day  by  day  until  from  the  dark  blue  of  the  North  they  merge 
into  the  deep  sea-green  of  the  sunny  South. 

During  our  four  days'  voyage  to  this  land  of  flowers  and  sun- 
shine, of  wooded  mountains  and  tropical  glades,  of  handsome  villas 
and  picturesque  towns,  we  traversed  the  Gulf  Stream,  touched  the 
western  fringe  of  the  Sargasso  Sea,  sighted  San  Salvador,  now 
Watling's  Island — the  first  soil  of  the  Western  Continent  trodden 
by  the  feet  of  Columbus,  who  landed  there  October  12,  1492 — crossed 
the  Tropic  of  Cancer  into  the  heat  and  sun-glare  of  the  Torrid 
Zone,  steamed  down  through  the  Windward  Passage,  past  Cape 
Maysi,  the  eastern  extremity  of  Cuba,  and  came  into  the  glittering 
waters  of  an  unobstructed  sea,  on  the  horizon  of  which  we  caught 
glimpses  of  "fair  Jamaica,"  basking  like  some  living  thing  of  beauty 
amid  the  emerald  waves.  Soon  its  Blue  Mountains  appeared  in 
profile  against  the  cloudless  sky,  and  in  a  few  hours  the  harbor  of 
Port  Antonio  unfolded  itself  before  our  gaze  like  some  grand  pano- 
rama which  compels  the  admiration  of  beholders.  The  scene  was 
one  of  impressive  grandeur,  not  to  be  duplicated  outside  these  lati- 
tudes and  probably  in  no  other  place  elsewhere  in  the  islands.  A 
tlood  of  glowing  sunlight  surrounded  us,  while  overhead  the  deep 
blue  vault  was  unobscured  by  the  tiniest  speck  of  cloud  or  shadow. 
The  Negroes,  on  the  wharf  in  their  white  clothes,  accentuated  by 
the  ebony  of  their  countenances,  presented  a  moving  color  effect 
which  diversified  the  charm  of  the  surroundings.  Beyond  the  wharf 
lay  the  palm-fringed  streets  leading  up  to  the  town. 

Having  got  through  the  routine  of  the  Customs,  with  a  few  con- 
genial friends  I  repaired  to  the  justly  famous  Hotel  Titchfield, 
a  hostelry  conducted  on  the  American  plan  and  which  can  favor- 
ably compare  in  cuisine,  comfort,  polite  attendance,  and  prices  with 
those  of  much  greater  pretensions  in  America  and  Europe.  From 
the  verandas  and  balconies  of  the  Titchfield  the  visitor  may  enjoy 
a  view  of  some  of  the  most  beautiful  scenes  in  the  Tropics.  I 
have  visited  many  of  the  renowned  haunts  of  both  the  Old  and 
New  World  and  looked  upon  nature  with  enraptured  eyes  when 
she  donned  her  fairest  garments  and  flashed  her  rarest  jewels  in 
the  sunshine  of  Eastern  lands,  but  never  did  I  look  upon  her  in 
more  dazzling  array  of  gorgeous  loveliness  than  from  the  verandas 
of  the  Titchfield  Hotel  in  Port  Antonio.  A  wealth  of  tropical 
scenery  lay  before  us,  unrivalled  in  the  rich  coloring  of  tree  and 
flower,  perennially  kept  green  by  showers  and  sunshine.  Here,  in 
the  presence  of  ocean  and  mountain^those  two  grandest  physical 


HARBOR    SCENE.    PORT    ANTONIO 


EARLY  MORNING.  PORT  ANTONIO  HARBOR 


1& 


"FLOWER  OF  THE  ANTILLES"  17 

expressions  of  sublimity — the  traveler  beholds  on  every  side  the 
charm  of  this  entrancing  region.  Sea  and  sky,  mountain  and  valley, 
houses  and  plantations,  forests  and  flowers,  all  combine  to  produce 
an  effect  truly  indescribable  in  its  appealing  and  diversified  beauty. 
One  is  compelled  to  exclaim  in  rapture:  "Surely  this  is  a  land 
beloved  of  the  gods,  one  on  v^hich  they  have  showered  their  choicest 
gifts  and  breathed  their  sweetest  incerse." 

At  our  feet  rolled  the  sea  in  its  ev  ^,r-changing  aspects  of  light 
and  color.  In  the  morning  its  waters  take  on  the  splendor  of  the 
sky  and  reflect  such  a  brilliancy  in  a  myriad  of  iridescent  tints  as 
would  be  the  despair  of  any  artist,  however  great  his  mastery  of 
colors.  At  eventide,  when  the  western  sun,  before  sinking  behind 
St.  Mary's  blue  hills,  kisses  a  night  farewell  to  the  dancing  wave- 
lets and  with  his  slanting  rays  gilds  them  with  sheens  of  living 
light,  it  seems  as  if  the  onlooker  were  gazing  on  some  golden  avenue 
leading  to  the  splendors  of  another  world. 

The  sky,  too,  is  a  never-ending  source  of  delight,  especially  when 
the  pink  and  purple  lights  of  dawn  flood  land  and  sea  with  soft 
effulgence.  At  sunset  the  clouds,  mingling  with  and  reflecting  the 
flaming  shafts,  present  such  a  maze  and  medley  of  variegated  lights 
and  colors  and  kaleidoscopic  beauty  as  defy  man  to  even  attempt 
an  imitation  of  the  glorious  reality.  The  night  also  is  particularly 
impressive,  either  when  the  sapphire  sky  is  studded  with  brilliants 
scintillating  down  to  earth  their  diamond  points  of  light,  or  when 
the  moon  rides  high  in  the  cloudless  vault  of  heaven  while  the 
waves  of  old  ocean  croon  their  eternal  lullaby  to  the  palm-fringed 
shore. 

Apart  from  the  surrounding  natural  scenery,  the  quaint  old  town 
of  Port  Antonio  is  not  without  a  luring  power  over  the  visitor.  It 
has  a  population  of  about  2,000,  but  outside  those  engaged  in  the 
fruit  exportation  business  and  tourists  there  are  not  a  score  of 
white  people  in  the  town.  The  harbor  is  divided  into  two  parts  by 
a  jutting  promontory  of  coral  rock,  carpeted  with  green  turf.  On 
this  peninsula  stand  the  remains  of  a  picturesque  ancient  fort,  and 
behind  it  the  old  barracks.  From  the  farther  margin  of  each  har- 
bor the  hills  rise  step  by  step,  profusely  covered  with  rich  vege- 
tation and  plumed  with  many  a  tall  cocoanut,  among  which  the 
green  blinds  and  the  red  roofs  of  the  houses  look  out  seaward. 
Behind  these  again  mount  ridge  upon  ridge  of  the  Blue  Mountain 
Range  to  a  height  of  more  than  7,500  feet,  right  up  into  the  clouds 
that  hang  about  the  peaks,     A  little  way  outside  the  mouth  of  the 


18  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

harbor  white-crested  waves  break  against  the  iron  rock  on  which 
the  red  Folly  Point  lighthouse  is  perched.  The  fort,  the  remains  of 
which  are  still  seen,  was  built  by  the  English  in  the  rugged  and 
perilous  days  when  they  first  wrenched  the  island  from  Spanish 
control. 

The  most  commanding  artificial  work  in  Port  Antonio  is  the 
Titchfield  Hotel,  which  is  built  on  the  hill  of  the  same  name,  over- 
looking the  harbor,  and  from  which  it  is  reached  by  a  short,  circling 
drive.  Many  travelers  have  said  that  the  site  of  this  hotel  is  the 
most  beautiful  on  earth.  The  building  itself  is  an  imposing,  modern 
structure.  The  piazza,  stretching  along  three  sides  of  the  house, 
is  over  800  feet  in  length,  and  from  16  to  26  feet  in  width.  The 
hotel  is  lighted  throughout  by  electricity,  has  its  own  cold  storage, 
plunger  elevator,  and  every  contrivance  exacted  by  modern 
patrons.  The  rooms  are  adapted  to  the  tropical  climate,  being  large 
and  airy.  The  door  of  every  sleeping-room  is  of  lattice,  so  as  to 
allow  a  free  circulation  of  air.  The  hotel  was  named  for  the  Mar- 
quis of  Titchfield,  whose  father,  the  Duke  of  Portland,  did  a  great 
deal  for  the  island  of  Jamaica.  It  is  leased  by  a  Boston  firm, 
Ainslie  &  Grabow.  The  good  management  and  comfort  of  the 
Titchfield  doubtless  have  much  to  do  in  attracting  visitors. 

The  people  of  Port  Antonio  are  more  interesting  than  the  build- 
ings. They  are  of  a  varied  assortment.  Of  course,  the  Negroes 
preponderate,  as  everywhere  else  in  Jamaica.  There  is  a  goodly 
number  of  East  Indian  coolies.  The  first  coolies  were  introduced 
into  the  island  in  1840  to  cultivate  the  fields.  There  are  some  crim- 
son-colored Maroons,  half-breed  descendants  of  the  early  inhabi- 
tants who  refused  to  be  conquered  by  the  English;  originally  Ma- 
roons were  the  issue  of  the  native  Indians  and  Africans.  Other 
blood  has  since  mingled  in  their  veins.  They  still  keep  independent 
and  aloof.  They  have  nothing  in  common  with  the  ordinary  Negro, 
on  whom  they  look  down  with  supremest  contempt.  The  almost 
ubiquitous  Chinaman  is  also  found  in  Port  Antonio.  White  tran- 
sients are  always  coming  and  going  in  large  numbers. 

There  are  many  places  in  the  vicinity  of  Port  Antonio  well 
worth  visiting.  The  Golden  Vale,  once  a  great  sugar  estate,  now 
one  of  the  largest  banana  plantations  in  the  island,  is  situated  in  a 
very  rich  district,  watered  by  the  Rio  Grande,  one  of  those  swift, 
erratic  streams  which  flow  pleasantly  within  narrow  limits  one  day, 
but  the  next  are  swollen  to  turgid  torrents  by  the  storms  in  the  sur- 
rounding mountains.    Hundreds  of  acres  of  the  old  cane-fields  have 


'LITTLE  ROSIE,"   PORT  ANTONIO 


THE  AUTHOR,  PORT  ANTONIO 


"FLOWER  OF  THE  ANTILLES"  2l 

been  converted  into  banana  plantations.  Near  the  boundary  of  what 
was  the  old  sugar  estates  are  great  stone  buildings  formerly  used  in 
the  crushing  of  cane  and  the  general  manufacture  of  sugar  and 
rum ;  also  for  storage  and  other  purposes ;  now  they  serve  as  shops, 
depots,  and  schoolhouses  for  the  children  of  those  engaged  on  the 
plantations. 

One  day  during  our  stay  at  Port  Antonio  we  drove  over  to  the 
Blue  Hole,  six  miles  from  the  town.  It  is  a  basin  of  water  fringed 
around  by  a  dense  growth  of  cocoanut  palms,  bananas,  and  other 
tropical  vegetation.  When  these  are  reflected  in  the  pool  the  water 
seems  to  turn  from  a  pale  turquoise  to  a  deep  amethyst.  With  the 
sun  shining  full  upon  it  from  a  cloudless  noonday  sky  the  water 
appears  a  brilliant  sapphire  blue,  presenting  a  wonderful  picture  of 
vivid  coloring,  like  a  veritable  sapphire  in  an  emerald  setting. 

Fain  would  we  have  lingered  longer  around  the  seductive  old 
town,  but  our  itinerary  compelled  us  to  say  good-by  to  its  associa- 
tions and  charms.  We  were  indeed  loath  to  leave  the  Titchfield, 
with  its  dreamy  surroundings,  beautiful  vistas  and  real  comforts, 
but  there  were  other  places  to  see  on  the  island,  so  we  had  to  be 
on  the  move. 

We  crossed  the  island  by  automobile  on  our  way  to  Kingston. 
It  was  one  of  the  pleasantest  journeys  of  my  experience.  For  a 
time  we  glided  along  the  coast  between  the  sea  and  magnificent 
groves  of  cocoanut-trees  and  plantations  of  bananas,  passing  St. 
Margaret's  Bay,  Hope  Bay,  Buff  Bay,  and  other  coastal  indenta- 
tions, until  Annotta  Bay  was  reached.  Here,  after  a  few  winding 
turns,  our  horseless  carriage  began  to  toil  up  rather  steep  grades, 
for  we  were  now  crossing  between  the  foothills  of  the  Blue  Moun- 
tains. The  up-grade  wasn't  of  long  duration.  Soon  we  began  to 
descend  through  wildly  picturesque  scenery,  all  that  the  eye  could 
desire  in  that  respect.  We  passed  little  villages  and  hamlets  em- 
bowered in  tropical  shrubs  and  plants,  many  of  them  gorgeous  in 
splendid  blooms  and  multicolored  flowers. 

We  made  a  stop  at  Castleton,  the  Government  Botanical  Garden, 
where  we  had  luncheon  on  the  grounds  of  an  excellent  hotel  amid 
feathery  bamboo  trees  and  other  tropical  arborage  and  foliage. 
Castleton  is  situated  in  a  deep  valley,  entirely  surrounded  by  lofty 
mountains.  Through  this  valley  tumbles  and  foams  the  Wag  Water 
River  like  the  true  mountain  stream  it  is.  Nature  and  the  govern- 
ment have  made  a  garden  of  this  place,  with  all  the  advantages  of 
loveliness  and  fertility  that  a  rich  valley  and  a  beautiful  stream  com- 


22  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

bined  can  furnish.  Here  are  found  not  only  the  native  flowers  and 
plants,  but  hundreds  of  specimens  imported  from  other  lands. 
North,  South,  East  and  West,  the  Occident  and  the  Orient,  have 
been  called  upon  to  contribute  to  its  beauties  of  natural  selection. 
It  contains  some  fifty  thousand  plants,  such  as  kolanuts,  cacao,  olive, 
sugar-cane,  rubber  plants,  nutmeg,  clove,  black  pepper,  mango,  va- 
nilla, cardamom,  pineapple,  cinnamon,  tobacco-plants  and  tea- 
shrubs.  I  noticed  a  fine  specimen  of  palmatum  and  a  magnificent 
collection  of  East  and  West  Indian  orchids.  Some  of  our  party 
particularly  admired  the  Victoria  Regina,  or  Queen  Victoria  lily, 
which  down  there  is  commonly  called  the  Amazon  water-lily ;  others 
were  interested  in  the  upas-trees  and  the  traveler's  tree  of  Madagas- 
car, from  the  latter  of  which  the  thirsty  wanderer  may  obtain  a 
cooling  drink.  Taste  and  skill  have  combined  to  arrange  the  beau- 
tiful plants  and  flowers  in  a  way  most  pleasing  to  the  eye.  The 
place  truly  looks  like  a  veritable  Eden,  a  spot  indeed  in  which  nymph 
or  naiad,  or  the  gods  themselves,  might  dwell. 

A  nineteen-mile  "spin"  over  a  fine  macadamized  road  brought 
us  from  Castleton  to  Kingston.  This  road,  to  my  idea,  is  the  best 
on  the  island.  At  intervals  trees  arch  and  interlace  overhead,  like 
the  roof  of  a  Gothic  cathedral.  In  places  the  Wag  Water  River 
can  be  seen,  with  alluvial  meadows  on  either  side,  tobacco-fields, 
fields  of  sago,  ginger,  tamarind,  cocoa  and  coffee,  groves  of  cocoa- 
nut,  miles  of  plantain  and  banana,  hillsides  covered  with  ferns, 
houses  wattled  and  mortared  with  clay,  surrounded  by  orchids  with 
their  great  red  flowers  glowing  like  spots  of  flame  from  the  cotton- 
wood  branches.  We  were  almost  sorry  when  our  arrival  at  Kings- 
ton brought  an  end  for  the  time  being  to  our  pleasant  trip  from 
Castleton. 

Kingston,  with  a  population  of  50,000,  is  the  capital.  It  stands 
on  a  plain,  backed  by  mountains,  at  the  head  of  Port  Royal  Bay. 
Port  Royal  was  the  former  capital,  but  its  destruction  by  an  earth- 
quake in  1692  led  to  the  foundation  of  the  present  city.  Kingston 
also  has  had  its  share  of  earthquakes,  and  such  a  large  share  that 
the  city  of  the  present  day  is  but  little  better  than  a  wreck  of  its 
former  greatness.  Nevertheless,  the  streets  are  wide  and  regular, 
the  houses  of  good  structure,  with  broad  verandas,  for  the  mo«t 
part  surrounded  by  well-cultivated  gardens  of  flowers  and  tropical 
plants. 

There  is  a  museum,  an  hospital,  public  library,  botanic  garden, 
Street  railway,  electric  power  and  light,  warehouses,  stores,  hotels. 


BLUE    HOLE,    NEAR    PORT    ANTONIO 


MAIN    STREET,    KINGSTON,    BEFORE    EARTHQUAKE 


23 


''f-LOWER  OF  THE  ANTILLES'*  25 

public  marts,  in  a  word,  all  the  addenda  of  a  modern  commonwealth. 
The  harbor  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world,  protected  from  the  sea 
by  a  long  point  of  land,  at  the  extremity  of  which  are  the  forts  and 
naval  arsenal  of  Port  Royal.  Being  the  principal  naval  station  of 
Great  Britain  in  the  West  Indies,  there  is  always  a  considerable 
military  force  stationed  on  the  hills  behind  the  city,  where  the 
climate  is  dry,  cool,  and  pleasant. 

I  had  visited  Kingston  some  years  before,  but  its  architectural 
pretensions  had  suffered  much  in  the  interim.  It  is  a  city  which 
time  and  again  has  felt  the  fury  of  the  elements.  In  1880  it  was 
severely  injured  by  a  hurricane;  two  years  later  a  great  fire  caused 
much  destruction.  The  inhabitants  bravely  tried  to  repair  the 
damages  of  both  misfortunes,  and  had  very  well  succeeded  when 
in  1907  an  earthquake  left  the  place  almost  as  great  a  wreck  in 
proportion  as  was  San  Francisco  after  the  terrible  calamity  of  1905. 
I  remembered  very  well  how  beautiful,  how  even  imposing 
Kingston  had  looked  previous  to  the  1907  disaster ;  now,  though  the 
plucky  town  has  tried  to  rally,  many  marks  still  remain  to  show  the 
heavy  blows  that  were  dealt.  The  Hotel  Myrtle  Bank  bears  the 
same  name,  but  it  is  not  the  same  building.  The  old  one  went  down 
to  ruin  in  the  earthquake.  Many  other  fine  buildings  tottered  and 
fell.  Some  have  been  rebuilt,  but  many  houseless  sites  still  remain 
with  their  ruins  mutely  testifying  to  the  damage  of  the  earthquake. 
As  I  look  upon  them  a  cold  tremor  runs  down  the  back,  I  think 
of  the  poor  Italians  of  Calabria  and  the  sufferers  of  Sicily  and 
other  victims  of  these  awful  visitations.  I  faintly  realize  their 
feelings  in  time  of  calamity  and  learn  to  sympathize  with  those  left 
homeless  by  the  paroxysms  of  nature  and  the  cataclysmic  fury  of 
the  elements. 

Despite  the  misfortunes  that  have  befallen  it,  Kingston  is  still 
a  town  of  energy  and  bustle — there  is  more  of  both  than  one  en- 
counters in  any  other  of  the  West  Indian  towns.  It  holds  an  im- 
portant place  in  the  commerce  of  the  world,  and  a  vast  amount  of 
trade  is  carried  on  through  its  port.  Its  water-front  teems  with 
shipping ;  along  its  docks  there  are  alw^ays  to  be  found  steamers  and 
sailing  vessels  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  Vast  quantities  of  the 
products  of  the  island,  such  as  sugar,  coffee,  rum,  logwood,  fruits, 
pimento  and  indigo,  are  shipped  from  its  port,  while  the  imports 
from  Europe  and  America  are  large.  Banks,  life  and  fire  insurance 
companies,  building  societies  and  discount  associations  flourish  and 
do  a  large  business. 


26  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

The  architecture  of  the  town  is  a  curious  combination,  part  Span- 
ish, part  Old  EngHsh.  Some  of  the  principal  buildings  are  the 
Theatre  Royal,  the  Hospital  on  North  Street,  the  Colonial  Bank 
on  Duke  Street  and  the  Court  House  on  Harbor  Street.  Some  of 
the  parish  churches,  the  Cathedral,  the  Library  and  other  buildings 
named  above,  which  had  interested  me  on  my  first  visit,  were  no 
longer  standing.  They  were  in  ruins  from  the  earthquake.  The 
Institute  of  Jamaica,  which  was  on  East  Street,  contained  the 
Museum  and  Library.  In  the  Library  were  the  famous  "Shark 
Papers"  which  led  to  the  destruction  of  the  brig  Nancy  in  1799. 
The  Nancy  was  owned  by  naturalized  Germans  of  the  United 
States,  and  was  commanded  by  Thomas  Briggs.  She  left  Balti- 
more in  July,  1799,  and  cleared  for  Curasao.  In  the  latter  part 
of  August  she  was  captured  by  the  English  cutter  Sparrow  and 
taken  to  Port  Royal.  It  was  declared  that  the  Nancy  was  a  lawful 
prize,  seized  on  the  high  seas  as  the  property  of  persons  who  were 
enemies  of  the  British  realm.  The  matter  was  brought  before  the 
Court  of  Vice-Admiralty  at  Kingston  and  probably  nothing  would 
have  resulted  but  for  the  discovery  of  papers  which  a  Lieutenant 
Fitton  found  in  a  shark  caught  off  Jacmel  while  cruising  there, 
and  which  were  of  an  incriminating  nature,  showing  that  the  brig 
was  engaged  in   contraband  service. 

There  are  many  beautiful  residences  in  and  around  Kingston.  In 
driving  through  the  suburbs  the  traveler  may  notice  unattractive, 
high,  dusty  walls,  but  let  him  step  through  the  door  of  the  wall 
and  he  will  find  himself  in  the  midst  of  charming  grounds,  gardens 
and  lawns,  made  beautiful  with  exotic  plants;  he  will  see  great 
sumptuous  houses  with  wide  verandas  commanding  splendid  views ; 
he  will  feel  the  air  balmy  and  scent-laden,  and  above  all  he  will 
find  the  truest  and  freest  of  hospitality. 

Kingston  is  not  at  all  the  hot,  unhealthy  city  that  the  imagina- 
tions of  many  people  picture.  As  to  sanitary  conditions,  it  is  quite 
healthy.  A  strong  breeze  springs  up  about  ten  o'clock  every  morn- 
ing and  continues  till  about  four  in  the  afternoon.  This  fresh 
ocean  air,  locally  and  popularly  called  ''The  Doctor,"  gives  free 
medical  aid  to  all.  The  immediate  and  pleasant  result  of  the  ''Doc- 
tor's" visit  is  the  preservation  of  health  and  conservation  of  comfort. 

It  is  very  interesting  to  walk  about  the  streets  of  Kingston  and 
watch  the  people  going  about  their  every-day  avocations.  You  will 
see  whites,  blacks,  coolies,  Chinese  and  many  other  nondescripts, 
mingling   in   easy    familiarity.      Here   you   will   meet   a   tall   negro 


KINGSTON,   SHOWING  HAVOC  OF  EARTHQUAKE 


AMONG    THE    RUINS,    KINGSTON 


MAIN   STREET.   KINGSTON,   YEAR  AFTER  EARTHQUAKE 


A..40Bi 


t-^^r^^ 


EN  ROUTE  TO  MARKET,  KINGSTON 


29 


"FLOWER  OF  THE  ANTILLES"  31 

Zouave,  with  turban  and  in  tight  jacket,  swaggering  along  in  all  the 
pomp  of  uniform;  there  you  will  see  an  Indian  coolie  woman  gor- 
geously apparelled,  her  small  hands  and  feet  ornamented  with 
silver  bangles  and  her  lithe,  sinuous  body  enmeshed  in  parti-colored 
garments.  You  will  see  vehicles  of  all  kinds — stylish  turnouts  from 
the  fifty-horsepower  tonneau  of  the  wealthy  and  the  burnished  car- 
riages of  the  Governor  to  the  crazy  mule  carts  and  lumbering  drays 
of  the  poorer  classes.  You  may  be  pestered  by  the  hackmen,  solicit- 
ing trade,  for  it  is  claimed  they  are  the  most  obtrusive  and  offensive 
in  the  world.  In  Jamaica,  however,  as  in  every  other  up-to-date 
center,  the  taxi  is  fast  taking  the  place  of  the  hack. 

There  are  several  fine  hotels  in  Kingston.  The  largest  and  best 
is  the  new  Myrtle  Bank,  on  the  site  of  the  old  one,  three  stories 
high,  built  of  brick,  on  three  sides  of  a  square  in  the  centre  of  which 
is  a  flower  garden.  The  charges  are  quite  reasonable,  $2.50  and 
$3.00  a  day,  and  less  by  the  week. 

The  markets  of  Kingston  are  one  of  the  sights  of  the  town,  the 
Jubilee  Market  at  the  northwest  of  the  Parade  and  the  Victoria 
Market  at  the  foot  of  King  Street  being  famous.  They  are  well 
stocked  with  much  variety.  Here  are  found  meat,  poultry,  fish  of 
rainbow  colors,  turtle,  tropical  fruits  and  vegetables  of  all  kinds, 
brought  down  overnight,  mainly  on  women's  heads,  from  the  inte- 
rior parts  of  the  island. 

Food  supplies  are  generally  cheaper  than  in  the  North.  Fruits 
are  especially  low  in  price  and  of  great  variety,  such  as  mangoes, 
oranges,  bananas,  custard-apples,  sappodillas,  guavas,  star-apples, 
papaws,  avocado  pears,  lemons  and  many  other  kinds  indigenous 
to  the  soil. 

Some  of  the  chief  delights  of  the  tourist  are  the  many  curio  shops, 
with  their  great  varieties  of  curiosities  and  knick-knacks  at  very 
low  prices.  I  visited  several  of  these  places.  In  one  I  was 
shown  what  to  me  appeared  a  very  peculiar  texture.  For  want  of 
a  better  name  I  may  term  it  **nature-woven  lace."  I  was  told 
that  it  comes  from  the  fibre  of  a  small  native  tree  called  the  "bira- 
bira."  When  a  branch  of  this  tree  is  crushed,  there  is  a  fibrous 
pith,  instead  of  a  soft  one,  which  contains  a  mass  of  lace-like  fila- 
ments apparently  woven  into  fabric  form  in  the  loom  of  nature. 
When  pressed  out  to  fullest  extent  a  branch  yields  about  thirty 
square  inches  of  fabric.  The  material  is  used  especially  by  Ameri- 
can ladies  to  trim  their  ippi-appi  hats  while  on  the  island,  also  by  the 


32  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

natives  as  bridal  veils,  handkerchiefs,  mosquito  curtains,  etc.  Al- 
though very  delicate  in  single  sheet  form,  it  can  be  used  for  tow- 
ropes  on  the  small  streams,  for  mule  harness  and  for  fence-rope 
when  well  twisted.  In  its  fibrous  pith  form,  after  the  bark  is 
removed,  the  matter  is  of  a  soft,  creamy  white,  beautiful  in  itself. 
When  in  lace  form  it  is  soft  and  lustrous,  and  after  being  exposed 
to  the  tropical  sun  for  a  little  while  it  becomes  bleached  to  a  daz- 
zling white.  I  have  looked  on  many  of  Nature's  handiworks, 
but  I  regard  this  wood-lace  as  one  of  her  most  exquisite  achieve- 
ments. Whether  the  beautiful  fabrics  will  become  of  any  commer- 
cial value  is  hard  to  tell.  The  fibres  that  produce  them  are  there, — 
it  is  for  the  ingenious  to  find  out  if  they  can  be  utilized  in  such  a 
way  as  to  cover  the  cost  of  manufacture  and  yield  a  margin. 

The  Constant  Springs  Hotel  is  situated  six  miles  from  the  capital 
city  on  one  of  the  old-time  estates,  now  out  of  cultivation,  at  the 
foot  of  a  range  of  the  Blue  Mountains.  It  is  a  delightful  hostelry, 
and  many  attractive  spots  are  in  the  vicinity,  the  chief  center  of 
interest  being  Spanish  Town,  thirteen  miles  from  Kingston.  It  is 
an  old  place  founded  by  the  Spanish  about  1523,  who  christened 
it  Santiago  de  la  Vega.  In  early  times  it  was  a  place  of  wealth  and 
fashion,  but  to-day  it  is  little  more  than  a  country  village,  its  prin- 
cipal attractions  being  its  beautiful  public  square,  filled  with  tropical 
plants  and  flowers,  its  fine  old  cathedral,  one  of  the  best  specimens 
of  Spanish  architecture  on  the  island,  and  the  temple  erected  in 
honor  of  Admiral  Rodney.  In  the  cathedral  we  saw  many  hand- 
some monuments  and  tablets,  and  under  our  feet  were  numerous 
slabs  with  curious  records  such  as  one  often  finds  in  old  cemeteries. 
One  of  these  especially  attracted  attention,  as,  after  recording  some 
facts  relative  to  the  deceased,  it  assured  us  that  the  sleeper  "died 
amid  much  applause."  Was  he  an  actor  who  fell  before  the  foot- 
lights, we  wondered,  or  some  great  orator  haranguing  a  multitude 
who  hung  entranced  on  his  words  ? 

This  slab  reminded  me  of  a  still  more  remarkable  inscription 
carved  on  the  tomb  of  Lewis  Galdy  at  Green  Bay.  That  unfortu- 
nate, or  rather  fortunate,  individual  was  one  of  the  lucky  victims  of 
the  great  Port  Royal  earthquake.  His  epitaph  states  that  he  *Vas 
swallowed  up  by  the  earthquake,  and  by  the  Providence  of  God 
was,  by  another  shock,  thrown  into  the  sea,  and  miraculously  saved 
by  swimming  until  a  boat  took  him  up.  He  lived  many  years  after 
in  great  reputation,  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him  and  much  lamented 
at  his  death," 


CONSTANT  SPRINGS,   NEAR  KINGSTON 


OLD     CHURCH,     SPANISH     TOWN,    JAMAICA 


33 


A    TYPICAL    SCENE,    JAMAICA 


AUTHOR    UNDER    THE    PALMS,    JAMAICA 


"FLOWER  OF  THE  ANTILLES"  37 

I  have  endeavored  to  give  a  sketch  of  the  "Flower  of  the  An- 
tilles," but  I  know  how  very  imperfect  it  is.  Jamaica  is  simply 
indescribable,  beyond  the  most  graphic  pen  to  give  a  word  picture 
of  its  captivating,  entrancing  scenery.  To  a  marvellous  beauty 
of  mountain  form,  rivalling  the  Hartz  of  Europe  or  the  Appala- 
chian chain  of  America,  it  adds  a  luxuriance  of  tropical  vegeta- 
tion which  neither  Europe  nor  America  can  give.  From  almost 
any  situation  there  are  views  so  diversified  that  wherever  you  may 
turn  a  new  picture  delights  the  eye — depths  of  shadows,  bursts  of 
light,  charming  dells  and  woody  plains.  The  heavy  timber  trees  on 
the  mountainsides,  the  lovely  verdure  of  the  cultivated  plains  and 
hills,  the  common  flowers  and  even  the  weeds,  are  rich  in  rare  color- 
ing. The  banks  of  the  rivers  and  smaller  streams  are  fringed  with 
every  growth  that  abundant  nature  can  produce  in  this  congenial 
clime.  The  seashore  is  lined  with  trees  and  shrubs  in  picturesque 
confusion.  The  wild  seaside  grapevines  are  in  many  spots  turned 
into  verdant  arbors,  and  groves  of  stately  bamboo-trees  often  form 
themselves  into  systematic  archways  like  the  aisles  of  some  splendid 
Gothic  church.  On  every  hand  grows  the  palm  and  the  cocoanut, 
the  mountain  cabbage,  the  plantain,  the  African  rose,  the  tamarind, 
with  oranges,  oleanders,  scarlet  cordiums,  grenadillas,  lilacs,  silken- 
leaved  portlandias,  mixed  with  a  prodigious  variety  of  minor 
flowers,  fruits  and  shrubs,  all  combining  a  picture  to  ravish  the 
soul  of  the  artist  and  captivate  the  heart  of  the  botanist.  Truly, 
Jamaica  is  a  dreamland  where  life  glides  onward  like  a  summer 
stream  kissed  by  the  sun  of  noon. 

Lost  Garden  of  Eden,  Flower  of  the  Antilles,  Bower  of  the  Gods, 
Fairyland  of  Flowers  and  Sunshine,  in  dreams  1  revisit  thy  shores 
and  bask  in  the  delights  of  thy  heaven-blessed  clime,  waking  I 
salute  thee  and  exclaim,  ''Ave  atque  Vale!" 


CHAPTER  II 
WHERE  BUCCANEERS  HELD  SWAY 


SHIMMERING   SEAS   AND   LAUGHING    LANDS    WHERE 
PLUNDERING  PIRATES   PREYED 

On  leaving  the  harbor  of  Kingston  our  steamer  was  surrounded 
by  a  veritable  swarm  of  seemingly  aquatic  human  beings,  mostly 
negro  boys  and  girls,  churning  the  water  into  foam  with  their  arms 
and  legs  as  they  jostled  one  another  while  importuning  the  pas- 
sengers to  throw  them  coins.  ''J^st  a  shilling,  Massa!"  ''Missus, 
a  sixpence!"  "Only  a  penny,  lady!"  and  such  like  solicitations. 
Many,  leaning  over  the  taffrail,  hearkened  to  their  appeals,  more 
for  the  sake  of  seeing  these  apparently  amphibious  creatures  dive 
for  the  money  than  for  the  purpose  of  gratifying  their  impecunious 
requests.  Certainly  the  divers  displayed  great  skill,  for  almost  as 
soon  as  the  coins  struck  the  water  they  were  seized  and  brought  up 
in  their  shining  white  teeth,  themselves  spluttering  and  splashing 
the  while,  and  shaking  the  water  from  their  hair  like  so  many  huge 
Newfoundland  dogs  after  a  plunge.  They  remind  one  of  the  nimble 
nymphs  of  the  Hawaiian  Islands,  who  swim  out  to  the  steamers 
anchoring  off  the  coral  reef  at  Honolulu,  but  the  Kanaka  maidens 
are  more  graceful  and  skilful  in  their  movements. 

As  we  glided  out  into  the  smooth  waters  of  the  Caribbean  we 
looked  back  to  shore.  Port  Royal,  with  its  low,  red-roofed  houses, 
crouched  on  our  right  amid  the  sheltering  cocoanut  palms,  like  some 
silent  sentinel  lurking  in  an  Eastern  jungle  and  trying  to  hide  from 
view  in  the  dense  foliage  of  the  surroundings.  The  last  vestige  of 
the  Blue  Mountains,  rising  abruptly  from  the  water  and  covered 
with  dark  masses  of  vegetation,  looked  as  if  hanging  over  Kings- 
ton and  keeping  watch  like  a  guardian  genius  over  its  sleeping 
beauty.     This  was  the  farewell  glimpse  of  fair  Jamaica,  for  soon 

38 


THE  BOUNDING  BUCCANEERS  39 

the  shores  of  the  island  faded  away  on  the  receding  horizon  and 
we  found  ourselves  encompassed  only  by  sea  and  sky.  With  the 
prow  of  our  vessel  turned  almost  due  south  we  were  cleaving  those 
sun-kissed  waves  of  the  green  Caribbean  which  constitute  part  of 
what  was  once  known  as  the  Spanish  Main,  and  which  was  the 
scene  of  many  desperate  encounters  in  the  wild  and  lawless  days  of 
the  bounding  buccaneers,  when  these  seafaring  robbers  and  cut- 
throats swept  both  sea  and  land,  instilling  terror  into  the  hearts  of 
all  who  had  the  misfortune  to  cross  their  path. 

These  buccaneers  were  European  adventurers  and  desperadoes, 
principally  English,  French,  and  Dutch  who,  both  separately  and 
in  combination,  harassed  the  Spaniards,  stole  their  property,  and 
seized  their  vessels  on  the  high  seas.  The  origin  of  the  term  is 
peculiar.  The  natives  of  Hispaniola,  the  modern  Haiti,  were  accus- 
tomed to  hunt  cattle  and  hogs  for  food  supplies.  When  slaughtered 
the  flesh  was  dried  and  smoked  over  a  fire  of  green  branches  and 
leaves.  When  thus  prepared  it  was  called  houcan,  and  was  very 
palatable  and  good  to  eat.  When  the  first  roving  traders  and 
privateers  came  to  the  island,  they  liked  the  houcan  so  well  that 
they  began  hunting  and  houcanning  for  themselves,  and  several 
remained  permanently  on  shore  for  this  purpose.  These  were  joined 
by  outlaws  and  refugees  from  the  other  islands,  and  soon  there 
were  so  many  of  them  that  they  established  a  base  of  trade  and 
supply  for  the  rovers  and  smugglers  on  the  small  island  of  Tortuga, 
lying  off  the  northern  coast  of  Hispaniola.  They  became  known 
as  boucaniers,  a  word  which  finally  came  to  be  spelt 
b-u-c-c-a-n-e-e-r-s.  They  made  the  little  island  of  Tortuga  their 
headquarters  for  a  lengthened  time  until  1638,  when  a  Spanish 
force  in  the  absence  of  the  hunters,  swooped  down  upon  it  and 
massacred  wantonly  every  man,  woman,  and  child  they  found. 
When  the  hunters — there  were  three  hundred — returned  and 
looked  upon  their  slaughtered  dead,  they  took  an  oath  to  avenge 
them.  They  recruited  their  number  from  still  more  desperate  bands 
and  from  thenceforward  waged  relentless  fury  against  the  Span- 
iards and  all  things  Spanish.  They  took  to  the  sea,  and  in  a  few 
years  had  gathered  together  a  considerable  fleet  of  vessels,  the  sole 
object  of  which  was  plunder,  pillage,  and  marine  marauding  of 
every  kind  against  Spanish  merchantmen  and  privateers,  or  those 
sent  out  to  hunt  down  these  crimson-stained  corsairs  of  the  Indies. 
These  fierce  fomorians  of  the  deep  were  as  wild  and  sanguinary  a 
band  of  frenzied  freebooters  as  ever  trod  a  quarter-deck,  yet  they 


40  UNDER  THE  SOUTHKRN  CROSS 

were  picturesque  withal.  They  dressed  with  a  view  to  inspire  terror 
in  their  prey.  Their  bodies,  mostly  naked  to  the  waist,  were  tanned 
and  weather-beaten  and  inured  to  the  scorching  suns  of  the  trop- 
ics; they  wore  pantaloons  of  coarse  canvas,  dyed  and  stiffened  with 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  pigs,  held  up  by  belts  of  raw-hide,  bristling 
w4th  deadly  knives,  dirks,  and  daggers.  On  their  feet  were  huge, 
square-toed,  pigskin  boots  held  together  by  cleats  and  long  nails ; 
they  wore  no  stockings.  They  allowed  their  hair  and  beards  to 
grow  and  never  combed  them,  so  that  their  appearance  was  more 
of  the  brute  than  the  human.  Slung  across  their  shoulders  or  gir- 
dled to  their  sides  they  carried  long-barrelled  firelocks,  loaded  with 
ounce  balls.  In  any  engagement  they  never  asked  for  quarter  and 
they  never  gave  any.  It  was  war  to  the  knife  and  the  knife  to  the 
hilt  every  time.  Hatred  of  the  Spaniards  was  the  breath  of  their 
nostrils — their  religion,  an  undying  enmity  to  the  race  of  Castile  and 
Leon.  They  imagined  themselves  justified  in  every  attack  on  Span- 
ish person  and  property. 

In  the  encroach  of  the  British  on  Jamaica,  of  course  the  bucca- 
neers espoused  the  side  of  the  English,  and  after  that  island's  cap- 
ture by  Cromwell's  fleet,  they  established  their  headquarters  at  Port 
Royal  and  entered  upon  a  flourishing  career  of  freebooting  and 
plunder.  The  British  and  even  the  French  winked,  if  they  did  not 
connive  at  their  marauding.  In  fact,  the  bold  buccaneers  sometimes 
carried  letters  of  marque  to  give  them  license  for  their  depredations. 

The  first  great  leader  of  these  vampire  vikings  of  the  Spanish 
Main  was  a  Frenchman  named  Montbar,  commonly  called  Pierre 
le  Grand,  or  Peter  the  Great.  This  sanguinary  sea-wolf  once  cap- 
tured the  ship  of  a  Spanish  admiral  while  lying  off  Caicos  in  the 
Bahama  Channel.  Another  French  leader  of  the  pillaging,  plun- 
dering bands  was  Frangois  L'Olonnois,  who  had  come  out  to  the 
West  Indies  as  a  common  sailor.  This  reckless  rover  of  the  seas 
captured  a  Spanish  frigate  which  had  been  sent  from  Havana  to 
put  down  the  freebooters  and  which  had  on  board  a  negro  execu- 
tioner, who  was  to  hang  on  the  yardarm  every  man  caught.  L'Olon- 
nois took  the  Spanish  crew  of  the  frigate,  ranged  them  in  a  con- 
venient row,  and  cut  off  the  head  of  each  man,  licking  his  bloody 
sword  clean  with  his  own  tongue,  after  each  death-dealing  blow. 

Probably  the  most  famous  leader  of  the  gory  gang  of  buccaneers 
was  Captain  Henry  Morgan — we  say  famous,  rather  than  infamous 
— for  at  length  he  cried  peccavi  and  made  amends  for  his  pillaging 
past.  Morgan  was  a  Welshman  by  birth,  who  had  to  leave  the  old  Gal- 


STREET   SCENE.   CRISTOBAL.   COLON 


A    SUBURB    OF    COLON 


THE  BOUNDING  BUCCANEERS  43 

lie  mouniains  on  account  of  youthful  escapades.  He  was  of  a  dar- 
ing, impetuous  nature,  and  it  suited  him  well,  when  he  came  to  the 
islands,  to  throw  in  his  lot  with  the  daring  daredevils  scouring  the 
seas  for  Spanish  loot.  He  brought  his  plunder  chiefly  to  Port  Royal, 
which  became  a  resort  for  desperate  and  vicious  characters,  and 
grew  rich  and  wicked  from  the  profits  of  freebooting.  Morgan's 
greatest  exploit  was  the  burning  of  the  city  of  Panama  in  1671,  but 
this  feat  heralded  the  departure  of  buccaneers  from  the  waters  of 
the  Caribbean,  for  it  excited  such  a  hostility  to  the  villainous  sys- 
tem that  the  sanguinary  sea-rovers  had  to  betake  themselves  to 
other  waters.  England  and  Spain  called  a  truce  to  their  quarreling, 
and  both  combined  to  put  down  the  power  and  prestige  of  the 
marauders  in  West  Indian  seas.  Morgan  saw  the  game  was  up. 
He  squared  himself  with  the  authorities  and  settled  down  at  Port 
Royal.  He  became  twice  Acting  Governor  of  Jamaica  and  was 
knighted  by  Charles  II.  He  died  rich  and  honored,  reversing  the 
generally  accepted  principle  of  human  conduct,  that  a  youth  of 
crime  and  folly  is  crowned  by  an  age  of  shame  and  sorrow.  He 
had  sown  tares,  yet  he  reaped  good  wheat  for  his  harvest. 

One  of  the  last  of  the  notorious  buccaneer  bandits  was  a  ferocious 
Fleming,  named  Van  Home.  The  most  conspicuous  deed  of  this 
daring  desperado  was  an  attack  on  Vera  Cruz  with  six  vessels  and 
at  the  head  of  twelve  hundred  men.  He  took  possession  of  the 
town,  plundered  the  houses  and  demanded  an  enormous  ransom 
from  the  inhabitants  in  recognition  of  his  sparing  the  place  from 
absolute  destruction.  While  he  was  waiting  for  the  ransom,  a  Span- 
ish fleet  of  seventeen  ships  sailed  into  the  harbor  and  Van  Horii^ 
dad  to  flee,  but  not  without  the  booty  he  had  already  taken  from  the 
unfortunate  people. 

The  Peace  of  Ryswick  in  1679  practically  gave  the  finishing  blow 
to  buccaneering  in  the  West  Indies,  for  it  was  through  this  peace 
that  hostilities  were  brought  to  an  end  between  France  and  Spain. 
As  has  been  intimated,  England  and  Spain  entered  into  friendly 
relations  some  years  before  this  time.  England  and  France,  how- 
ever, were  not  on  good  terms,  and  buccaneers  that  hailed  from  both 
countries  took  sides  each  against  the  other,  which  fact,  together  with 
the  general  hostility  shown  toward  their  atrocious  exploits,  espe- 
cially the  looting  and  burning  of  Havana,  led  to  the  breaking  up 
of  the  notorious  gangs  on  the  Spanish  Main.  Moreover,  Spanish 
trade  by  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  had  well  nigh  gone  from 
the  \\'est  Indies,  so  there  was  nothing  much  for  the  murdering 
marauders  to  seize  as  prey. 


44  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

But  when  buccaneering  departed,  piracy  on  everything  worth 
seizing,  no  matter  to  whom  it  belonged,  sailed  to  the  front  and  for 
a  long  time  kept  these  water?  in  a  state  of  turmoil. 

The  greatest,  or  rather  the  worst  of  the  pirates,  was  an  English- 
man named  Teach,  who  was  facetiously  termed  "Blackbeard,"  from 
the  hue  and  size  of  his  huge  whiskers.  This  delectable  desperado 
preyed  as  freely  on  English  commerce  as  on  that  of  any  other 
nationality.  All  was  fish  that  came  to  his  net.  There  are  many 
stories  of  his  bravery,  brutality,  and  butchery,  but  most  of  them 
must  be  taken  cum  grano  satis.  He  did  not  confine  himself  alone 
to  the  Caribbean,  but  penetrated  north  as  far  as  the  coast  of  the 
Carolinas.  At  length  the  Governor  of  Virginia  put  a  price  upon 
his  head  and  he  was  finally  captured  by  an  English  lieutenant  and 
promptly  executed. 

Another  enterprising  character  of  this  unsavory  class  was  Cap- 
tain Bartholomew  Roberts,  who  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century  spread  terror  over  the  Caribbees.  He  even  made  seizures 
in  the  very  ports  of  Martinique  and  Dominica. 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  the  notorious  Captain  Kidd 
began  his  career  of  privateering  in  the  waters  of  the  West  Indies. 
It  was  Lord  Bellamont,  Governor  of  the  Barbados,  who  secured 
Kidd's  commission  as  Commander  of  the  Adventure  to  put  down 
pirates.  As  everybody  knows,  he  turned  pirate  himself,  but  he 
afterward  exercised  his  wild  calling  in  another  part  of  the  world. 

All  through  the  eighteenth  century  and  for  the  first  decade  of  the 
nineteenth  century  piracy  continued  its  nefarious  work  in  the  Carib- 
bean, and  had  many  lurking  places  and  refuges  throughout  the 
islands. 

As  we  sailed  over  these  sunny  seas  formerly  traversed  by  these 
bounding  buccaneers  and  predatory  pirates,  we  could  not  help  recall- 
ing their  exciting  and  troubled  times,  and  detailing  to  one  another 
stories  we  had  heard  or  read  concerning  them.  Almost  every  one 
had  something  to  relate  from  his  portfolio  of  memories.  We  con- 
jured up  pictures  of  them  in  their  wild  and  fantastic  costumes, 
bronzed  and  bearded  daredevils,  bristling  with  daggers  and  guns, 
carbines,  and  cutlasses,  swaggering,  shouting,  swearing  along  the 
decks  of  their  pointed  sloops  and  square-nosed  galleys  as  they 
skimmed  the  waves  flying  the  black  ensign  of  death  at  their  miz- 
zenmasts  or  the  red  pennant  of  plunder  from  their  gaff-peaks.  In 
our  minds'  eye  we  could  see  the  carnage  of  blood  when  they  grap- 
pled with  their  prey,  the  fury  of  the  onslaught,  the  dead  and  the 
dying  as  their  bodies  were  hurled  into  the  sea,    What  red  demons 


THE  BOUNDING  BUCCANEERS  45 

of  slaughter  they  must  have  been !  Their  very  memories  strike 
terror  to  our  souls,  and  at  length,  as  if  by  common  consent,  v^e 
refrained  from  dwelling  on  that  bloody  past  of  rapine  and  licen- 
tiousness w^hich  gave  such  an  unenviable  notoriety  in  those  days 
to  this  part  of  the  world.  We  turned  our  thoughts  to  the  living 
present  and  the  beauties  of  sea  and  sky  surrounding  us,  and  beau- 
tiful they  were,  so  much  so,  indeed,  as  to  be  lastingly  impressive. 
The  wind  was  light  and  balmy  and  the  waves  gave  us  but  a  gentle, 
swaying  motion,  yet  gentle  as  it  was,  it  kept  some  below  in  their 
state-rooms  to  whom  it  had  already  given  nial-de-mer.  Two  days 
passed  quickly  away,  making  most  of  us  accustomed  to  the  undu- 
lating sway  of  the  dark-green  Caribbean.  Life  seems  an  endless 
morning  and  the  vista  an  unlimited  horizon.  The  colors  of  sea  and 
sky  blend  in  such  a  harmony  of  tints,  reflections,  and  refractions 
as  to  give  a  picture-panorama  of  loveliness  which  enchains  the  eye, 
ravishes  the  soul,  raises  the  thoughts  in  reverence  and  impels  the 
congue  to  utter  praise  and  prayer  to  the  Master  Artist  of  the  Uni- 
verse who  limns  the  canvas  of  nature  with  such  an  indescribable 
glory.  In  these  warm  waters,  unclouded  sunshine  and  fragrant 
breezes  of  the  South  there  is  a  tranquilizing  influence  which  tends 
to  mental  repose  and  dreamy  existence.  The  hours  pass  away  in 
such  a  dolce  far  niente  fashion  that  they  slip  unnoticed  through  the 
glass  of  time.  The  world  and  its  cares  and  concerns,  trials  and 
troubles,  sins  and  sorrows  are  forgotten,  gliding  through  this  para- 
dise of  the  Caribbean  which  seems  like  a  foretaste  of  the  paradise 
of  the  Eternal. 

We  were  satisfied  to  sit  the  greater  part  of  the  time  on  deck  and 
gaze  on  the  waves  lazily  rolling  toward  us  from  the  perspective  of 
the  hazy  distance,  until  they  exhausted  themselves  in  tiny  sprays 
of  foam  against  the  sides  of  our  vessel  as  she  steadily  ploughed 
onward  on  her  course;  or  to  watch  the  wayward  flapping  of  a  few 
stray  sea-gulls  like  white  specks  between  us  and  the  azure  vault  of 
heaven,  and  the  antics  of  the  flying-fish  as  they  darted  from  the 
waves  in  pursuit  of  some  morsel  of  prey. 

Finally,  Porto  Bello  appeared  on  our  lee,  and  in  a  couple  of  hours 
more  our  steamer  was  alongside  the  wharf  at  Aspinwall,  or  Colon, 
as  it  is  now  generally  called.  The  town  is  situated  on  a  detached 
piece  of  ground,  the  tiny  island  of  Manzanillo.  Here  many  of  us 
looked  forward  with  anticipations  as  being 

" Nearer    to    the    wayside    inns 

Where   sea-sickness   ceased   and   rest   begins." 


46  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Landing  amid  tlie  usual  scenes  consequent  upon  custom  inspec- 
tion, with  its  attendant  confusion,  we  took  carriages  for  a  drive 
about  the  place  to  view  the  sights  and  limber  up  a  bit  after  our 
voyage,  before  starting  on  our  railway  journey  to  Panama.    , 

Colon  is  not  such  a  forsaken  place  as  many  would  have  us  sup- 
pose, nor  is  it  so  undesirable  a  spot  as  commonly  reported.  That 
it  is  hot  goes  without  saying,  but  the  heat  has  been  so  tempered  by 
American  enterprise  and  modern  conveniences  that  it  is  no  longer 
an  insurmountable  object  to  the  comfort  of  persons  from  Northern 
latitudes.  Since  Americans  have  been  in  control  they  have  paved 
the  streets,  made  cement  side-walks,  put  in  sewers,  graded  the 
heights  and  hollows,  raised  the  houses  of  the  inhabitants,  introduced 
mosquito-screens  to  protect  the  dwellers  from  the  ubiquitous  pests, 
and  brought  about  many  other  improvements.  These  sanitary  aids 
have  done  much  to  prevent  disease  and  make  the  town  normally 
healthy  for  both  natives  and  foreigners. 

In  most  respects  Colon  is  just  like  any  other  tropical  seaport. 
From  a  casual  view  it  has  something  of  the  appearance  of  a  North- 
ern fishing  village.  A  breeze  wafts  in  from  the  Caribbean  at  all 
times  as  soft  and  sweet  as  a  virgin's  breath,  but  it  is  somewhat 
erratic,  doubling  at  angles  and  turning  corners,  which  makes  it 
extremely  hard  to  catch.  When  it  does  fan  the  cheek  it  is  like  the 
waft  of  an  angel's  wing,  transporting  one  as  it  were  from  the  heat 
and  glare  of  the  tropics  to  some  heaven-blessed  clime  where  roses 
eternal  bloom,  the  scents  of  which  regale  the  nostrils  with  a  frag- 
rance worthy  the  incense  of  the  gods. 

Colon  is  the  port  of  supply  for  the  Canal  Zone.  Every  morning 
at  four  o'clock  a  train  pulls  out  laden  to  the  last  car  with  food- 
stuffs for  the  Commissary  Department  at  Panama.  Aside  from 
the  imported  commodities  the  town  turJis  out  quite  a  respectable 
amount  of  edibles  on  its  own  account.  There  is  a  pie-bakery  with 
a  daily  output  of  more  than  a  thousand  of  the  appetizing  little  disks 
of  mince,  apple,  pumpkin  and  other  ingredients.  A  bread-bakery 
yields  fifteen  thousand  loaves  of  bread  daily  from  its  ovens,  while 
facilities  would  allow  this  daily  supply  to  be  increased  to  sixty 
thousand  loaves.  An  ice-plant  manufactures  seventy-five  thousand 
tons  of  the  frozen  product  every  twenty-four  hours,  the  output 
being  distributed  clear  across  the  Isthmus  to  the  Pacific  Slope. 
Vegetables  are  sent  in  season  to  hotels,  messes,  and  kitchens  at 
merely  the  cost  of  handling.  Many  other  home  products  are  dis- 
tributed from  this  little  port  of  entrance. 


COLUMBUS    STATUE    AND    DE    LESSEPS    COTTAGE,    COLON 


HOMES    OF    NEGRO   LABORERS,    CANAL   ZONE 


47 


THE  BOUNDING  BUCCANEERS  49 

There  are  not  many  remarkable  sights  in  Colon.  The  dwellings 
are  principally  little  frame  cottages  of  neat  appearance  and  very 
well  kept  since  the  advent  of  the  Americans.  The  coral  drive  sur- 
rounding the  bay  is  very  pleasant  during  the  daytime,  but  at  even- 
ing, when  the  mosquitoes  come  forth  in  swarms  from  the  marshes, 
travelers  are  glad  to  seek  protection  from  Cidex  Anopheles  behind 
the  screens  of  the  wooden  verandas. 

An  object  that  attracted  our  attention  was  the  colossal  bronze 
statue  of  Columbus,  a  gift  from  the  late  Emperor  of  the  French. 
(Colon  itself  in  name  is  the  Spanish  equivalent  for  Columbus.) 
The  great  navigator  is  represented  as  protecting  with  his  right  hand 
the  kneeling  figure  of  an  Indian  maiden,  whose  features  apparently 
seem  moved  by  the  kind  act.  To  the  rear  of  the  Columbus  statue 
is  the  De  Lesseps  house,  where  the  famous  French  engineer  lived 
for  a  time  when  he  essayed  (to  him)  the  insurmountable  task  of 
cutting  the  isthmus. 

Apart  from  these  landmarks  Colon  is  not  a  Mecca  for  the  sight- 
seer, nor  is  it  interesting  in  historical  associations ;  therefore,  when 
the  time  came,  we  were  glad  to  take  the  train  across  the  isthmus  to 
Panama,  in  eager  anticipation  of  seeing  for  ourselves  the  great 
work  on  which  Uncle  Sam  has  been  engaged,  the  work  in  which  all 
the  world  is  interested,  viz.,  the  excavation  for  the  Panama  Canal, 
or  what  is  popularly  known  as  "the  Digging  of  the  Big  Ditch." 


CHAPTER  III 


DIGGING  THE  BIG  DITCH 


THE   MOST  COLOSSAL  ENTERPRISE  OF   MODERN   TIMES 


As  we  Sped  away  from  Colon,  through  the  car-window  we  caught 
gHmpses  of  the  muddy  Chagres  River  sluggishly  wending  its  way 
through  dank  vegetation,  its  banks  thickly  matted  in  many  places 
with  dead  aquatic  plants,  through  which  new  growths  were  spring- 
ing up.  Ranges  of  hills  which  reach  to  within  six  miles  of  the 
shore  at  Gatun  encompass  the  valley  of  this  river. 

As  we  ascended  higher  into  these  hills  giant  forest  trees  appeared 
on  each  side  of  the  track,  all  clambered  with  pendant  blossomy 
vines  and  gorgeous  with  flowers  of  varied  and  brilliant  hues.  Many 
abandoned  locomotives  and  old  steam-shovels,  lying  here  and  there 
in  the  dense  growth  of  underscrub,  recalled  to  our  mind  the  history 
of  the  great  undertaking  which  at  last  has  been  successfully  accom- 
plished. A  sad  history  indeed  it  is  in  some  places,  punctuated  by 
the  sacrifice  of  many  human  lives. 

The  cutting  of  a  passage  through  the  isthmus  connecting  the  two 
Americas  has  not  been  an  idea  solely  conceived  in  our  time  or  within 
the  past  century.  The  problem  has  engaged  the  attention  of  navi- 
gators, scientists  and  men  of  thought  for  upward  of  four  hundred 
years.  Hernando  Cortez  first  discussed  the  idea,  and  his  successor, 
Ceron,  actually  made  plans  for  cutting  a  waterway  through  from 
ocean  to  ocean.  When  Columbus  set  out  over  the  waste  of  waters 
he  was  seeking  a  new  route  to  the  Eastern  countries  of  the  Old 
World,  but  the  continent  which  he  discovered  intervened,  or  he 
would  have  realized  his  object. 

When  it  was  learned  through  exact  geographical  knowledge  that 
only  a  narrow  neck  of  land  separated  the  two  great  oceans  and  was 

50 


DIGGING  THE  BIG  DITCH  51 

the  sole  barrier  which  prevented  navigators  from  gaining  the  East 
by  sailing  far  enough  to  the  West,  thoughtful  minds  began  to  con- 
sider the  question,  whether  this  barrier  could  not  be  removed. 

From  the  advent  of  Europeans  as  settlers  on  the  American  con- 
tinent this  same  question  has  been  a  matter  for  consideration  and 
deliberation.  Time  and  again  the  importance  to  the  commerce  of 
the  nation  of  a  passage  between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  at  this 
central  point  has  been  accentuated  and  emphasized  by  the  demands 
of  modern  growth  and  development. 

During  the  exodus  of  '49  to  the  gold-fields  of  California  the  Canal 
question  was  very  prominently  brought  to  the  front.  It  was  six 
years  later  that,  in  order  to  facilitate  travel  in  some  degree,  the 
Panama  Railroad  was  constructed.  Previous  to  this  the  journey 
from  New  York  to  San  Francisco  by  way  of  the  Horn  was  13,200 
miles,  or  more  than  half  the  circumference  of  the  globe.  The  Panama 
Railroad  lessened  this  by  some  7,500  miles,  making  the  total 
journey  between  the  two  cities  in  this  direction  about  5,700  miles. 
Ten  years  later  the  first  railroad  through  the  United  States  from 
coast  to  coast  was  opened.  The  company's  franchise  included  the 
right  to  construct  a  canal,  but  nothing  was  done.  The  need  of  a 
water-way  for  commerce  was  still  felt  and  still  engrossed  practical 
minds. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  1879  that  the  Canal  project  took  its 
first  practical  form.  In  that  year  the  French  Company  obtained  a 
concession  from  the  Colombian  Government  and,  having  secured 
De  Lesseps,  who  had  gained  fame  in  constructing  the  Suez  Canal, 
they  went  to  work  to  construct  a  sea-level  canal  across  the  isthmus. 

For  ten  years  the  French  toiled  at  the  enormous  undertaking, 
which  cost  them  millions  of  money  and  hundreds  of  lives.  Science 
had  not  advanced  as  far  then  as  now,  the  hygienic  laws  adapted  to 
the  climate  or  preventives  of  disease  were  not  understood,  and 
so  the  men  died  by  hundreds.  ''Yellow  Jack,"  enteric  fevers,  dysen- 
tery, cholera  and  kindred  maladies  carried  them  off  in  their  deadly 
embraces.  The  region  actually  became  the  pest-hole,  the  lazar-spot 
of  the  world.  To  breathe  its  air  was  to  inhale  the  deadliest  of  poi- 
sons. The  miasma  arising  from  the  swamps  and  marshes  was 
charged  with  toxic  bacteria,  all  kinds  of  disease-breeding  germs  and 
bacilli,  and  the  mosquitoes  and  ants,  which  could  not  be  kept  oflf, 
spread  contagion  everywhere  around.  The  French  fell  the  easiest 
victims,  they  were  soft  and  unaccustomed  to  work  under  such  con- 


52  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

ditions;  the  West  Indian  negroes  were  little  better,  even  the  Chi- 
nese coolies  succumbed  in  great  numbers. 

Ten  years  were  enough  for  the  French.  The  company  collapsed ; 
they  would  have  had  to  stop  anyhow,  for  no  more  men  would  go 
to  that  pestiferous  region  of  disease  and  death.  De  Lesseps  went 
home.  Instead  of  adding  new  laurels  to  his  crown,  the  old  ones 
faded  and  he  soon  passed  away,  the  world  scarcely  noticing  his 
departure.  All  work  was  stopped  and  silence  brooded  where  the 
locomotive  had  tooted  and  the  steam-shovel  clanged.  The  world 
seemed  to  forget  Panama,  and  looked  upon  the  work  already  done 
as  France's  Folly,  and  many  prophesied  that  it  never  would  be 
resumed  again.  The  prophecy  was  correct  as  far  as  France  was 
concerned,  but  in  1904  Uncle  Sam  got  on  the  job.  Panama  had 
won  her  independence  from  Colombia,  so  the  United  States  thought 
the  time  opportune  to  try  what  could  be  done  with  the  "Big  Ditch." 
The  Government  purchased  all  rights  from  the  French  Company 
for  $40,000,000,  paid  Panama  another  $10,000,000,  and  leased  in 
perpetuity,  at  a  rental  of  $250,000  a  year,  a  strip  of  land  ten  miles 
wide  and  forty-five  miles  long,  running  across  the  Isthmus  from 
sea  to  sea.  This  strip  of  land  is  what  is  now  known  as  the  Canal 
Zone. 

The  object  uf  the  American  canal  builders  was  to  complete  the 
vvork  the  French  began  and  construct  a  waterway  by  which  the 
largest  steamer  afloat  could  be  lifted  up  a  flight  of  three  ''steps"  on 
the  Atlantic  side,  carried  on  a  water-way  between  the  mountains  at 
an  altitude  of  eighty-five  feet  above  the  sea,  and  let  down  a  flight  of 
three  ''steps"  into  the  Pacific  in  ten  hours'  time.  It  seemed  a  big 
contract,  the  biggest  ever  undertaken  by  man,  the  Pyramids  nor  any 
of  the  mighty  works  of  the  ancient  world  not  excepted. 

Certainly  the  American  people  deserve  credit  for  having  tackled 
such  a  stupendous  task.  Their  doing  so  emphasizes  the  mighty 
spirit  of  Progress  which  animates  the  go-ahead  Republic  of  the 
West.  ,  i    ,  '  '    jj 

In  this  titanic  work  the  United  States  has  had  not  only  to  sur 
mount  obstacles  and  conquer  difficulties  which  would  have  been 
impossible  to  any  other  nation,  but  has  had  to  live  down  the  evil 
reputation  of  the  past  which  caused  men  to  shun  this  locality  as  a 
plague-spot,  the  very  air  of  which  was  contamination  and  death. 

As  we  have  said,  it  cost  the  French,  besides  money,  hundreds  of 
the  lives  of  their  own  people,  while  the  poor  negroes  literally  died 
by  thousands.  Even  the  railway  over  which  we  now  travel  from 


CULE]}RA    CUT.    PANAMA    (1908) 


DRILLING  AT  CULEBRA  CUT  (1908) 


58 


DIGGING  THE  BIG  DITCH  55 

Colon  to  the  city  of  Panama  cost  the  Hfe  of  a  Chinaman,  it  is  said, 
for  every  tie  driven. 

What  a  change  has  been  effected  since  then !  With  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  Americans,  Hygei;)  waved  her  magic  wand  and  lo ! 
the  grim  spectres  of  disease  were  exorcised,  the  Black  Knight  of 
Death  was  unhorsed  and  conquered  by  the  Sir  Lancelot  of  Modern 
Science,  and  to-day  the  Canal  Zone  is  almost  as  healthy  as  any  of 
the  most  favored  parts  of  the  American  Continent.  There  is  much 
more  discomfort  during  the  hot  spells  in  New  York,  Chicago,  or 
any  other  of  the  large  cities  than  there  is  in  the  "Strip."  The  sani- 
tation is  as  perfect  as  possible.  Money  has  been  lavishly  expended, 
with  a  view  to  procuring  comfort  and  health.  Instead  of  the  huts, 
shacks,  and  bungalows  one  might  naturally  expect  to  see  in  a  trop- 
ical belt,  the  visitor  sees  modern,  neatly  kept  cottages,  much  simi- 
lar to  those  found  all  over  the  States.  These  little  houses,  for  the 
most  part,  were  perched,  where  possible,  on  the  hills  along  the  canal 
route.  Those  in  the  lowlands  crouched  on  high,  wooden  stilts,  and 
thus  they  defied  any  malarial  vapors  exuding  from  the  soil.  The 
broad  verandas  were  protected  with  screens  from  floor  to  roof. 
These  kept  off  the  mosquitoes  and  all  other  tropical  insects,  enabling 
the  inhabitants  to  enjoy  the  cool  of  the  evening  in  unmolested  con- 
tentment. 

There  are  dozens  of  schoolhouses  scattered  over  the  territory 
from  the  fiagstaffs  of  which  flutter  the  Stars  and  Stripes,  and  in 
which  American  teachers  train  the  **young  idea  how  to  shoot." 

There  are  stores,  hotels,  restaurants,  clubs,  playgrounds,  in  fact 
all  the  appurtenances  and  conveniences  of  any  modern  common- 
wealth. Uncle  Sam  allows  no  saloons  in  his  strip  of  territory,  but 
there  are  plenty  of  these  v/et-goods  emporiums  across  the  border, 
where  the  thirsty  traveler  can  refresh  himself  with  as  varied  an 
assortment  of  beverages  as  he  would  find  in  any  "wide-open"  town 
of  America.  He  can  ask  for  Jamieson's  "Seven  Year  Old,"  and  a 
bottle  bearing  the  brand  is  immediately  produced,  but  there  is  no 
guarantee  that  the  contents  came  from  the  Emerald  Isle.  It  is  more 
likely  to  be  a  sample  of  "Kentucky  Moonshine,"  "Jersey  Lightning," 
or  some  native  distillation  equally  as  vile.  But,  as  Shakespeare 
says,  a  rose  by  any  other  name  would  smell  as  sweet,  so  whiskey  by 
any  name  is  a  toxic  compound,  and  all  blends  are  alike  in  their  final 
destroying  effects. 

As  there  were  some  forty  thousand  human  beings  in  the  Canal 
Zone  to  be  supplied  with  the  life-maintaining  necessaries,  the  Com- 


56  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

missariat  Department  was  the  most  important  consideration. 
Through  this  department  Uncle  Sam  was  the  keeper  of  one  of  the 
largest  storehouses  in  the  world,  one  which  did  an  annual  business 
of  over  $6,000,000.  There  were  thirteen  commissary  stores  scat- 
tered along  the  canal  route,  where  the  canal  employee  could  pro- 
cure almost  anything  from  a  needle  to  an  anchor.  Purchases  could 
be  made  by  employees  only.  Tobacco  sales  alone  amounted  to 
about  $25,000  a  month,  and  during  a  similar  time  more  than  $50,- 
000  worth  of  clothing  was  bought  at  these  stores.  The  meat  con- 
tract was  enormous.  The  monthly  consumption  of  beef,  mutton, 
and  veal  averaged  350,000  pounds  the  year  round.  The  total  sup- 
ply came  from  the  packing-houses  in  Chicago  and  was  shipped  from 
New  York  in  cold  storage.  The  daily  consumption  of  butter  approx- 
imated 800  pounds,  of  eggs  1,230  dozens,  of  potatoes  17  barrels,  and 
of  milk  500  gallons.  In  general  the  Commissary  Department  main- 
tained an  equipment  and  a  force  capable  of  serving  about  220,000 
meals  and  rations  monthly. 

Besides  the  stores  there  were  some  sixty  messes  and  kitchens 
conducted  at  various  points  along  the  work.  The  Spanish  laborers, 
of  whom  there  were  about  6,000,  patronized  these.  They  got  three 
meals  a  day  for  40  cents,  and  the  Government  gave  them  free  lodg- 
ings. As  their  wage  amounted  to  $1.60  daily,  they  had  $1.20  left, 
but  out  of  this  they  had  to  provide  clothing. 

There  were  about  30,000  West  Indian  negro  privates  in  the  army 
of  construction.  Most  of  them  displayed  a  tendency  to  shun  the 
Government  quarters  and  kitchens,  preferring  the  native  villages,  or 
setting  up  shacks  for  themselves,  but  the  authorities  discountenanced 
this  tendency,  on  sanitary  and  hygienic  principles. 

The  Americans  were  the  principal  meat-eaters  of  the  Canal  Zone, 
and  on  this  account,  it  was  pointed  out,  the  strain  on  their  digestive 
organs  made  them  less  fit  to  resist  climatic  influences  than  the 
negroes  and  Spaniards,  who  depended  on  the  carbohydrates,  like 
the  starches  and  sugars,  which  are  easy  of  assimilation  and  diges- 
tion. 

In  connection  with  the  actual  work  of  Canal  construction  the 
problem  of  human  efficiency  merged  itself  in  that  of  machine  effi- 
ciency, and  the  influence  of  the  latter  factor  in  the  question  of  labor 
saving.  In  making  the  dirt  fly  in  the  big  ditch  there  were  some  one 
hundred  and  ten  steam-shovels  swinging  their  buckets  in  the  Canal 
belt  all  the  time,  many  of  them  capable  of  loading  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  cars  a  day.    These  shovels  were  of  two  kinds,  viz.,  seventy- 


DIGGING  THE  BIG  DITCH  57 

ton  shovels  and  ninety-five-ton  shovels,  the  latter  carrying  buckets 
with  a  capacity  of  five  cubic  yards.  Many  of  these  enormous  shovels 
tore  from  the  earth,  scooped  up  and  loaded  on  cars  as  much  as 
2,175  cubic  yards  of  rock  and  dirt  in  a  single  day  of  eight  hours.  In 
the  Culebra  Cut,  each  shovel  on  an  average  excavated  744  cubic 
yards  of  rock  a  day.  The  best  workman  could  have  handled  and 
loaded  only  six  cubic  yards  in  eight  hours,  therefore  one  shovel  per- 
formed the  work  of  124  men. 

In  the  blasting  of  rock  a  similar  labor-saving  process  was  exem- 
plified. Thousands  of  pounds  of  dynamite  were  daily  used.  In 
many  places  a  hundred  compressed  air  drills  could  be  seen  in  line 
chugging  away  like  giant  pistons,  boring  the  blasting  holes  to  receive 
the  charges  that  split  the  rock  into  fragments. 

Scores  of  locomotives  were  kept  busy  hauling  the  trains  of  cars 
of  dirt  over  the  network  of  tracks  to  the  dumping-grounds  around 
the  edges  of  the  reservoirs. 

We  made  a  special  trip  to  Empire  to  see  the  giant  shovels  at 
work.  Empire  is  about  twelve  miles  from  Panama  City.  We 
watched  them  with  wondering  curiosity  until  we  became  tired.  The 
clanging  of  the  shovels  and  chugging  of  the  drills  were  too  noisy 
for  our  unfamiliar  ears.  Before  we  left  they  were  about  to  set  of¥ 
a  blast,  so  we  had  quickly  to  retreat  to  a  safe  distance,  nevertheless 
many  fragments  of  rock  fell  thickly  around  us. 

From  Empire  we  walked  back  three  miles  to  Culebra  to  have  a 
look  at  the  famous  Culebra  Cut,  the  barrier  which  daunted  nations 
in  the  past,  but  which  is  conquered  at  last.  The  problem  of  digging 
the  ditch  through  this  cut  was  one  of  mere  physical  force,  which 
was  after  a  while  solved,  and  the  digging  took  out  an  average 
of  a  million  cubic  yards  of  dirt  and  rock  a  month.  The  cutting  of 
Culebra  may  be  regarded  as  the  final  triumph  of  intelligent  and 
perserving  energy  over  the  resistance  of  material  obstacles. 

The  dams  and  locks  constituted  the  most  formidable  work  in  the 
final  construction  of  the  Canal.  By  damming  up  the  Chagres  River 
at  Gatun  a  lake  was  formed,  the  surface  of  which  is  eighty-five  feet 
above  sea-level,  and  which  has  an  area  of  about  one  hundred  and 
ten  square  miles.  By  damming  the  Rio  Grande  the  same  object  was 
attained  on  the  Pacific  side.  In  connection  with  each  dam  is  a  sys- 
tem of  locks  connecting  the  Canal  with  the  two  mouths  or  channels 
at  sea-level. 

The  great  difificulty  about  building  these  dams  was  in  the  founda- 
tions. On  the  Pacific  side,  where  there  are  two  dams,  one  at  Mira- 


58  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

flores  and  the  other  higher  up  among  the  hills  at  Pedro  Miguel,  trou- 
ble frequently  arose.  The  original  site  at  La  Boca  was  abandoned 
for  that  at  Miraflores.  The  gaps  between  the  hills  at  Miraflores  and 
Pedro  Miguel  are  not  very  wide,  so  these  dams  were  comparatively 
small,  and  consequently  easy  to  build. 

But  on  the  Atlantic  side  the  conditions  were  different.  Here  lay 
the  crux  of  the  whole  lock  canal  project.  If  Gatun  Dam  should 
have  failed,  the  plan  for  a  lock  canal  would  have  failed  also,  and 
the  great  ditch  would  have  had  to  be  dug  to  a  depth  of  forty-one 
feet  below  sea-level  from  ocean  to  ocean.  Gatun  Dam  lies  across 
the  valley  of  the  Chagres  River,  its  ends  supported  by  two  hills. 
Its  foundations  lie  on  the  dirt  formation  of  the  river  valley,  for 
there  is  rock  within  250  feel  of  the  surface. 

This  dam  is  by  far  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the  world,  the  next 
largest  being  San  Leandro  in  California,  and  even  that  is  only  one- 
third  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  great  pile  that  harnesses  up  the 
Chagres  River.  It  is  a  mile  and  a  half  long,  half  a  mile  wide,  and 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  from  base  to  top.  This  height  gives 
it  a  rise  of  fifty  feet  above  the  highest  water-level  required  for  canal 
purposes.  In  its  building  hundreds  of  thousands  of  piles  were 
driven  into  the  ground  to  support  the  vast  foundations,  and  mil- 
lions of  barrels  of  cement  and  millions  of  tons  of  rock  were  used, 
not  to  mention  the  earth  that  was  required.  The  cement  and  piles 
had  to  be  shipped  to  the  Isthmus,  while  the  rock  and  most  of  the 
dirt  was  hauled  some  twenty-five  miles  from  the  Culebra  Cut.  So 
during  the  construction  of  the  Canal  a  large  part  of  the  material 
taken  from  Culebra  had  to  be  handled  over  and  over  again  until  it 
was  packed  solidly  in  the  great  structure  at  Gatun.  After  this  was 
done  then  came  the  finishing  touches — the  cementing  of  the  bottom 
and  walls  of  certain  parts  of  the  Canal,  the  equipment  of  the  locks 
with  machinery  for  operating  the  massive  gates,  and  then  the  first 
filling  of  the  reservoirs. 

Both  Ex-Presidents  Roosevelt  and  Taft  predicted  that  the  great 
work  would  be  finished  in  1915;  many  thought  them  over-sanguine, 
but  results  have  more  than  justified  their  predictions.  The  year  1914 
witnessed  the  practical  completion  of  the  great  work.*  The  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  have  been  wedded,  the  dream  of  ages  is  accomplished, 
and  the  commerce  of  the  world  soon  will  be  revolutionized.    Doubt- 

*The  first  freight  passed  through  the  Canal  in  May,   1914,  a  shipment  of 
three  barge  loads  of  sugar  from  Hawaii  consigned  to  New  York. 


A    GANG    OF    DRILLERS    ON    THE    ISTHMUS 


CHINESE  VENDER  ON  THE  ISTHMUS 


59 


DIGGING  THE  BIG  DITCH  61 

less,  however,  it  will  take  a  year  or  two  to  put  everything  in  complete 
working  order,  and  it  will  probably  be  1917  before  a  full  traffic  is 
estabHshed.  Steamers  will  then  be  able  to  reach  San  Francisco  from 
New  York  in  from  eight  to  ten  days,  saving  7,875  miles.  Sailing 
vessels  taking  from  four  to  five  months  to  make  the  same  voyage 
around  the  Horn  will  be  able  to  do  it  in  six  or  seven  weeks.  Pro- 
portionate saving  will  be  made  between  all  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
ports.  The  Canal  will  open  a  bee-line  route  between  Liverpool  and 
Sydney,  Australia,  making  the  distance  12,590  miles,  instead  of 
15,160. 

So,  while  incalculable  benefits  will  accrue  to  the  United  States 
from  a  commercial  as  well  as  many  other  points  of  view,  the  other 
nations  of  the  world  will  be  benefited  as  well. 

Besides,  the  glory  of  carrying  out  the  undertaking  will  add  a 
lustre  to  the  prestige  of  this  country  and  establish  the  United  States 
on  an  eminence  to  which  all  the  world  will  look  up  with  respect  and 
admiration.  In  fact,  the  cutting  of  the  Panama  Canal  will  be  the 
victory  of  the  ages,  and  will  crown  the  brows  of  America  with  the 
unfading  laurels  of  fame  for  all  time,  for  its  skill,  courage,  and 
humanity. 

To  see  the  great  work  in  progress  was  well  worth  a  visit  to  the 
Canal  Zone.  The  American  tourist  should  list  Panama  in  his  iti- 
nerary, if  from  nothing  else  than  a  patriotic  motive.  It  makes 
Americans  feel  proud  of  their  country,  which  has  the  spirit,  the  will, 
the  determination  and  the  genius  to  carry  such  a  colossal  enterprise 
to  a  successful  issue. 

During  our  stay  on  the  Isthmus  we  put  up  at  the  Hotel  Tivoli  at 
Ancon,  just  on  the  edge  of  Panama  City,  and  where  are  situated  the 
General  Offices  of  the  Canal  Commission.  This  hotel  was  certainly 
a  contrast,  and  not  an  agreeable  one,  to  the  pleasant,  well-kept,  well- 
ordered  Titchfield  at  San  Antonio,  Jamaica,  with  its  delightful  views, 
fine  cuisine,  and  reasonable  prices.  The  Tivoli  is  a  hostelry  where 
the  visitor,  to  enjoy  the  dance,  must  certainly  pay  the  piper.  The 
prices  are  outrageously  out  of  all  commensuration  with  the  treat- 
ment and  attendance.  Charges  range  from  $8.00  a  day  upward. 
When  the  tourist  is  first  told  the  price  he  is  liable  to  console  himself 
with  the  thought  that  silver  dollars  are  meant,  eight  of  which,  in 
accordance  with  the  Panamanian  par  of  exchange,  amount  to  a 
sum  equivalent  to  four  dollars  in  the  United  States,  but  when  the 
•reckoning  comes  he  is  sadly  disillusioned  to  find  that  the  rate  is  in 
keeping  with  the  currency  in  the  home  land  of  Uncle  Sam. 


62  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

While  in  the  city  of  Panama  we  visited  most  of  the  interesting 
places.  Although  called  by  courtesy  a  city,  as  being  the  capital  of 
the  little  republic,  it  is  but  a  small  place,  having  a  population  of 
about  30,000.  The  streets  are  narrow  and  s.nuous,  the  houses 
mostly  of  wood  with  red-tiled  roofs ;  the  second  stories — few  exceed 
two  stories — project  over  the  sidewalks.  These  houses  very  for- 
cibly reminded  me  of  many  similar  ones  I  had  seen  in  the  quaint 
old  towns  of  Andalusian  Spain.  There  are  no  pretentious  build- 
ings. The  cathedral  is  of  brick  and  whitewashed,  the  interior  deco- 
rations very  plain  and  simple.  Most  of  the  church  bells  are  cracked, 
and  instead  of  being  rung  with  clappers  are  struck  with  hammers, 
the  noise  thus  made  being  very  discordant  and  trying  on  the  tym- 
panum of  the  ear. 

We  saw  many  children  playing  on  the  streets,  their  dress  con- 
spicuous by  its  absence,  their  little  bodies  being  almost  nude  under 
the  fierce  glare  of  the  tropical  sun.  Still,  they  gave  a  variety  to  the 
surroundings  and  added  something  of  a  charm  to  the  general  pic- 
ture. Water-carriers  passed  along  somewhat  after  the  manner  of 
Eastern  lands.  Venders  dozed  over  their  wares  of  fruits  and 
dulces — the  latter  being  the  Spanish  name  for  sweetmeats.  Boat- 
men and  idlers  lazily  lounged  past  us  in  all  the  careless  abandon  and 
lethargy  of  the  tropics. 

In  many  places  we  came  upon  tangible  evidence  of  poverty  and 
squalor,  as  much  so  in  proportion  as  in  the  slums  of  any  of  our 
Northern  cities.  The  air  was  redolent  with  garlic,  for  many  of  the 
poor  here  are  necessitated  to  make  a  meal  of  the  pungent  leek  for 
lack  of  anything  more  substantial  or  nutritive. 

It  rained  while  w^e  were  in  the  city  of  Panama,  and  when  it  does 
rain  there  it  rains  heavily.  The  surcharged  heavens  seemed  to  let 
down  their  contents  in  veritable  water-spouts  and  cataracts.  When 
the  rain-storm  was  over  the  sun  came  out  from  the  great  black 
drift,  and  under  his  fierce,  almost  perpendicular  rays,  the  streets 
exuded  white  clouds  of  mist  like  that  which  issues  from  a  vapor- 
bath.  In  the  mornings  there  is  generally  a  heavy  dew,  so  heavy 
that  one  might  imagine  it  had  rained  during  the  night. 

Throughout  our  visit  to  Panama  we  experienced  many  abrupt 
transitions  from  the  pleasant  to  the  unpleasant,  from  the  agreeable 
to  the  disagreeable.  In  the  Canal  Zone  we  saw  the  employees  well- 
fed,  well-housed,  well-clothed,  not  overworked,  and  most  of  them 
contented  with  their  lot.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  city  of  Panama 
itself  we  were  confronted  with  many  cases  of  real  poverty,  filthy 


DIGGING  THE  BIG  DITCH  63 

homes,  unsanitary  conditions,  ragged  men  and  women,  discontented 
and  unhappy. 

There  are  many  contrasts  in  Panama,  not  only  in  the  manner 
of  Hving  and  general  social  condition  of  the  people,  but  in  many 
other  respects.  The  traveler  often  finds  himself  passing  from  the 
sublime  to  the  ridiculous  and  vice  versa.  I,  myself  experienced 
such  situations  during  my  sojourn.  Anyhow,  there  is  only  a  paper 
wall  between  these  conditions  and  I  am  not  ashamed  to  say  I 
toppled  through  it  several  times.  But  I  always  managed  to  get 
back  again,  if  not  to  the  height  of  the  sublime,  at  least  to  the 
level  of  common  sense. 

On  the  whole  I  was  well  pleased  with  my  visit,  not  only  from 
the  sight-seer's  standpoint,  but  in  the  experience  gained  and  more- 
over by  the  pleasure  it  afforded  me  to  see  my  own  countrymen  by 
their  indomitable  energy  and  unrivaled  genius  carrying  to  a  success- 
ful finish  the  great  work  which  defied  all  others  to  consummate. 

To  picturesque  Panama  let  me  say,  Hast  a  la  vista. 


CHAPTER  IV 


PANAMA  TO  LIMA 

THE  WESTERN  COAST  OF  SOUTH  AMERICA 
FROM    THE   ISTHMUS   TO   PERU. 

We  left  Panama  on  the  Huasco  of  the  Compafiia  Sud-Americana 
de  Vapores,  which,  in  plain  English,  means  the  South  American 
Steamship  Company. 

We  had  every  expectation  of  a  pleasant  voyage,  dreamy,  placid, 
nerve-soothing,  for  this  tropical  water-way  along  the  Western  Coast 
of  South  America  seldom,  if  ever,  is  disturbed  by  storms,  or  in 
fact  ruffled  by  maritime  commotions  of  any  kind.  There  is  never 
a  heavy  sea,  never  a  rolling  swell  encountered.  And  the  boats  are 
specially  constructed  to  meet  such  calm  conditions.  They  are  in 
nowise  built  for  speed,  therefore  they  make  no  attempt  on  any 
occasion  in  the  way  of  a  spurt  or  dash  to  reduce  their  mileage  time. 
On  no  run  do  they  make  more  than  100  miles  a  day,  often  less.  The 
entire  voyage  from  Panama  to  Valparaiso,  a  distance  of  some  3,100 
miles,  consumes  from  twenty-three  to  twenty-five  days.  Any  North 
Atlantic  ship  could  easily  accomplish  the  journey  in  eight  days  or 
less.  Of  course  these  South  American  vessels  make  many  calls  on 
the  way,  but  leaving  this  out  of  consideration,  they  are  about  the 
slowest  steamships  in  the  world.  They  glide  along  at  a  regular  ocean 
snail  pace,  like  apathetic  acquatic  living  things,  and  seem  to  say, — 
"If  we  don't  reach  port  to-day  maybe  we  will  get  there  to-morrow 
or  the  day  after." 

These  quaint  Pacific  arks  are  almost  as  large  as  our  regular 
Northern  steamships.  They  have  extraordinary  deck-space,  and  all 
the  cabins  lead  out  on  the  decks.  These  cabins  or  state-rooms  have 
large  doors  and  windows  so  as  to  catch  whatever  breeze  is  blowing, 
for  at  times  in  the  early  part  of  the  voyage  the  weather  is  close 

64 


ALONG  THE  WESTERN  COAST  67 

and  stifling,  especially  at  night,  and  passengers  are  very  grateful  for 
even  the  faintest  breath  of  air. 

Freight  is  of  the  first  importance  on  these  boats.  The  decks  are 
constantly  choked  and  cluttered  with  all  kinds  and  descriptions  of 
merchandise,  from  bales  of  Manchester-manufactured  cotton  to 
boxes  of  Chinese-spun  silk,  and  from  chewing-tobacco  to  fresh 
lettuce.  There  is  also  animate  as  well  as  inanimate  freight.  The 
beefsteak  you  will  eat  to-morrow  is  standing  on  the  hoof  to-day, 
looking  up  at  you  with  great  docile  eyes  from  the  hatchway  below 
and  giving  an  occasional  bellow,  as  if  dreading  the  fate  the  future 
holds  in  store.  In  big  double-decker  coops,  fat  chickens  blink 
suspiciously  through  the  slats,  as  if  knowing  they  soon  will  be 
served  up  as  polio  con  arros"^  to  coax  the  sluggish  appetites  of  the 
idle  passengers  whose  digestive  organs  sufifer  from  lack  of  action 
and  exercise.  Ducks  and  other  barnyard  fowl  are  also  cooped  up 
by  the  dozen  awaiting  the  spit  and  the  broiler.  The  squawking, 
clucking  and  cackling  on  occasions  are  very  annoying,  particularly 
in  the  early  mornings,  but  the  greatest  and  worst  disadvantage  of 
carrying  such  living  freight  comes  from  the  odor  and  efiiuvium 
arising  from  the  coops  and  cattle-pens,  and  which  is  often  so  strong 
and  disagreeable  as  to  be  nauseating. 

The  stewards  and  attendants  are  chiefly  Chilean  rotos,  swarthy^ 
hang-dog  looking  fellows,  something  after  the  pattern  of  Sicilian 
brigands;  they  look  as  if  they  would  be  delighted  to  stick  a  stiletto 
between  one's  ribs  for  a  few  pesos  or  even  a  bottle  of  pisco.  Their 
very  appearance  instils  terror  into  the  peacefully  inclined;  they 
certainly  look  as  if  their  absence  would  be  preferable  to  their 
company  on  a  dark  night  in  a  lonely  place,  if  a  person  had  anything 
valuable  in  his  possession  to  incite  their  cupidity.  In  the  very 
light  of  day  they  look  flerce  enough  to  send  shivers  down  the  spine 
of  the  timid. 

There  are  always  a  goodly  number  of  passengers,  and  these 
constitute  a  heterogeneous  crowd  indeed,  being  made  up  of  divers 
nationalities.  Englishmen  and  Americans  predominate,  mostly 
engineers  and  prospectors  going  down  to  the  mines  of  Bolivia  and 
Peru;  commercial  travelers  and  business  men  representing  the 
great  mercantile,  manufacturing,  and  producing  houses  of  the 
United  States  and  Europe;  globe-trotters  and  cosmopolitans  who 
are  at  home  in  all  places  in  all  lands ;  some  scientists  and  naturalists 

*Anglice=chicken    with     rice. 


6§  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

athirst  for  investigation  and  a  few  Asiatics,  earth-wanderers  in 
quest  of  the  golden  ignis-fatuus  which  leads  them  ever  on  from 
the  extremest  Orient  to  the  farthest  Occident. 

We  had  a  young  college  man  on  board  who  hailed  from  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  on  his  way  to  a  mine  in  Central  Peru.  He  had 
entered  into  a  contract  with  the  company  in  charge  of  the  work,  and 
he  told  us  he  would  extend  it,  if  the  engagement  should  prove 
agreeable  to  him. 

With  such  a  varied  company  there  was  much  material  to  attract 
the  attention  of  a  student  of  social  conditions,  but  most  were  other- 
wise inclined  than  to  a  study  of  their  fellow-travelers  and  the  objects 
they  had  in  view  in  undertaking  the  voyage.  The  scenery  of  the 
surrounding  country  claimed  the  attention  of  almost  all. 

As  we  sailed  out  from  La  Boca,  the  harbor  of  Panama  was  very 
beautiful,  as  it  lay  before  us  shimmering  in  burnished  glory  in  the 
sunlight.  I  could  not  help  calling  up  memories  of  the  unfortunate 
wanderer  "Balboa,"  the  first  white  man  to  look  upon  this  shining  sea. 
It  was  in  September,  1513,  that  Yasco  Nmiez,  commonly  called 
Balboa  from  his  birthplace  in  Spain,  sighted  the  waters  of  the 
Pacific  from  the  lookout  of  a  mountain  peak  in  the  isthmus  of 
Darien.  Nuiiez  was  an  adventurer,  a  bold  and  fearless  one  all  his 
life.  As  a  young  man  he  had  come  out  from  Spain  in  1501  to  the 
fertile  island  of  Hispaniola,  but  he  was  not  a  person  to  settle  down 
to  the  tame  life  of  a  planter  and  agriculturist.  He  was  born  for 
action,  and  his  spirit  craved  adventure  and  excitement.  Having 
got  into  debt  he  made  his  escape  from  Hispaniola  and  reached 
Darien,  where  he  became  chief  of  a  band  of  like  adventurers  and 
made  friends  with  the  Indians,  marrying  the  daughter  of  Caretta, 
chief  of  the  Coyba  district.  He  had  been  told  of  the  great  sea 
that  lay  on  the  other  side  of  the  isthmus,  and  visions  of  wealth  rose 
before  him,  for  he  believed  this  sea  would  lead  him  to  the  rich 
East  Indies  which  Columbus  had  set  out  to  reach  by  a  Western 
route. 

When  at  length  Balboa  gazed  upon  the  shining  water  from  the 
mountain  top  he  knelt  down  and  thanked  Heaven  for  the  glorious 
vision.  After  a  march  of  a  few  days  he  reached  the  shore  and  took 
possession  of  both  sea  and  land  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain. 

But  poor  Balboa  was  not  to  enjoy  any  results  from  his  discovery. 
There  were  enemies  pulling  the  wires  against  him  at  the  Spanish 
Court.  A  cruel  and  heartless  wretch  called  Davilla  was  sent  out 
as  Governor.     This  man  hated  Balboa  with  a  hatred  begotten  of 


PREPARING   TO    LOAD   STEER  ON   THE   "HUASCO' 


A   FEW  MINUTES   LATER 


69 


ALONG  THE  WESTERN  COAST  71 

jealousy  and  envy.  The  latter  was  preparing  to  explore  the  ocean 
he  had  discovered.  At  enormous  labor  his  men  had  taken  to  pieces 
the  ships  in  the  harbor  of  Darien,  carried  those  pieces  sixty  miles 
across  the  isthmus  to  the  Pacific,  and  reconstructed  them  into  four 
brigantines.  Instead  of  searching  for  the  East  Indies  first,  Balboa 
made  up  his  mind  to  seek  the  golden  land  of  Peru,  for  he  had 
already  heard  of  the  immense  wealth  and  gorgeous  treasures  of  the 
Incas.  He  set  out  on  this  quest  and  had  reached  the  Pearl  Islands 
when  lack  of  pitch  and  other  necessities  rendered  his  vessels  un- 
seaworthy  and  prevented  his  going  farther  South. 

In  the  meantime  Davilla's  jealousy  and  envy  increased.  If  fame 
and  riches  were  to  be  had  the  small-minded  governor  wanted  the 
glory  and  wealth  for  himself.  He  caused  trumped-up  charges  of 
treason  to  be  made  against  Balboa,  had  him  arrested,  put  on  trial, 
and  speedily  condemned  to  death. 

In  Balboa  perished  the  ablest  of  the  Spanish  adventurers.  But 
for  Davilla's  treachery  and  jealousy,  the  bold  pioneer  would  doubt- 
less have  added  to  his  fame  the  conquest  of  Peru,  forestalling  the 
scoundrelly  Pizarro.  And  had  fate  permitted  Balboa  to  be  the  con- 
queror of  the  land  of  the  Incas,  the  most  shameful  chapter  that 
disgraces  Spanish  history  would  never  have  been  written  in  her 
annals. 

As  we  glided  down  the  bay,  the  Pearl  Islands,  where  Balboa, 
with  his  brigantines,  was  compelled  to  halt,  appeared  hazy  in  the 
distance.  We  could  just  catch  a  glimpse  of  their  outlines,  but  such 
was  enough  to  emphasize  what  we  had  heard  and  read  of  the 
daring  adventurer  who  was  the  first  white  man  to  churn  the  slum- 
bering waters  of  the  great  ocean. 

These  islands  have  another  claim  to  notoriety,  if  not  to  fame. 
It  was  in  their  lee  that  the  bold  buccaneers  lay  in  1685  under  the 
command  of  Edward  Davis,  awaiting  the  Spanish  treasure-fleet 
from  Lima.  They  waited  in  vain,  for  the  Spaniards  succeeded  in 
landing  the  treasure  betimes.  Had  there  been  a  battle  and  the 
buccaneers  had  won,  as  they  probably  would  in  such  an  event,  the 
whole  course  of  South  American  history  might  have  been  very 
different  from  what  it  is. 

Looking  back  over  the  waters  we  have  just  skimmed,  the  strip 
of  land  connecting  the  two  Americas,  rising  in  jagged  hills  here  and 
there,  looks  like  the  backbone  of  some  huge  leviathan  of  the  pre- 
historic past,  wrapped  in  a  winding-sheet  of  gray,  its  either  end 
disappearing  in   the  mists  af   Colombia   and  Costa  Rica.    As   we 


n  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

proceed  and  it  recedes,  or  rather  seems  to  recede,  the  hills  appear 
smaller  and  smaller  until  they  dwindle  into  little  cones  resembling 
bee-skeps  on  a  lawn  and  finally  disappear  in  a  cirque  of  clouds,  the 
upper  part  of  which  is  crested  with  sunshine  while  the  lower  seems 
like  fleecy  strands  of  pink  dripping  into  waters  of  indigo  blue. 

At  sunset,  when  the  West  is  a  blaze  of  mingled  light  and  color, 
the  indigo  merges  into  a  deep  maroon,  which  quickly  fades  to  give 
place  to  the  reflection  of  the  dark  blue  vault  overhead,  in  which 
strange  stars  come  out,  one  by  one,  and  stud  the  infinite  fields  of 
space.  The  north  polar  star  is  just  a  little  above  the  horizon;  soon 
it  will  disappear,  foUow^ed  by  Ursa  Major,  Orion,  the  Pleiades 
and  others  of  the  familiar  Northern  constellations.  Other  groups 
will  come  into  view  and,  coming  up  from  the  rim  of  waters  we 
shall  see  the  famous  Southern  Cross  which  will  ascend  higher  and 
higher  in  the  heavenly  arch  the  farther  we  proceed  south.  This 
constellation  of  the  Southern  heavens,  called  by  astronomers  the 
Crux,  consists  of  a  group  of  stars,  four  of  which  are  visible  to  the 
naked  eye;  two  of  the  first  magnitude,  one  of  the  second,  and  one 
of  the  third.  These  do  not  form  an  exact  cross,  but  the  outlines 
of  a  cross  can  be  imagined  from  their  positions,  just  as  the  form  of 
a  bear  can  be  traced  in  the  'Tlough"  or  Ursa  Major.  The  Southern 
Cross  is  in  the  zenith  over  Australia,  and  for  this  reason  the  island 
continent  is  called  ''The  Land  of  the  Southern  Cross." 

As  we  meandered  down  past  the  coast  of  Colombia  the  weather 
was  very  trying.  Our  modern  galleon  crawled  along  under  a  heat 
shimmer  which  sent  the  mercury  up  to  90  degrees  Fahrenheit  in 
my  cabin.  I  had  commenced  taking  notes  of  my  impressions,  but 
had  to  stop  writing  to  wipe  the  perspiration  off  my  hands  and 
stand  in  the  draught  of  the  doorway  to  catch  a  little  breeze.  For 
two  days  we  experienced  this  kind  of  weather,  the  nights  being 
especially  disagreeable  owing  to  the  stuffy  heat  of  the  cabins.  In 
the  daytime  we  selected  those  spots  on  deck  most  sheltered  from 
the  sun's  rays  from  which  we  watched  either  the  outline  of  the 
shore  on  the  one  hand  or  the  wavelets  lapping  the  starboard  side 
of  our  vessel  on  the  other,  as  they  lazily  rolled  in  from  the  almost 
illimitable  expanse  of  ocean. 

But  for  the  motion  of  the  ship  there  would  have  been  no  wavelets 
at  all,  for  the  sea  here  is  like  a  mill  pond.  It  was  this  part  of  the 
great  ocean  which  confirmed  the  name.  Pacific,  the  one  Ferdinand 
Magellan  first  applied  to  it  when  he  sailed  through  the  strait  now 


73 


ALONG  THE  WESTERN  COAST  75 

bearing  his  name  and  found  the  water  so  calm  in  contrast  to  the 
Atlantic  storms  through  which  he  had  passed. 

On  the  third  day  we  crossed  the  Equator,  or  as  it  is  popularly 
called,  the  Line,  and  passed  imperceptibly  into  south  latitude. 
There  was  no  ceremony  of  receiving  old  Father  Neptune  as  is 
customary  on  such  occasions.  Indeed  most  of  us  were  too  passive, 
too  inert  to  exertion,  in  short  too  lazy  in  our  day-dreaming  to  arouse 
ourselves  to  meet  his  Marine  Majesty;  therefore,  no  one  personated 
the  mythical  god  with  his  trident  and  there  was  no  commotion. 

From  this  time  onward  the  weather  was  pleasant  and  agreeable, 
due  to  the  cool  Humboldt  current  which  rolls  up  along  the  western 
coast  from  Cape  Horn.  The  change  in  the  temperature  was  very 
refreshing  and  was  enjoyed  by  all. 

When  the  soft  breath  of  evening  would  waft  into  our  camerote 
and  the  Southern  Cross  come  out  in  the  darkling  sky,  when  the 
pulsating  throbs  of  the  engine  would  send  a  gentle  tremor  through 
the  stanchions  of  the  ship  and  the  bell  would  sound  its  bi-hourly 
announcements,  while  the  musical  cadence  of  a  few  soft  Spanish 
voices  could  be  heard  from  the  upper  deck,  it  seemed  as  if  a  ro- 
mantic glamor  was  cast  over  the  surroundings,  favoring  the  idea  of 
enchantment. 

There  was  neither  poetry  nor  romance,  glamor  nor  enchantment 
in  our  daylight  view  of  the  coast  of  Ecuador.  The  shoreline  was 
a  disillusion  to  those  of  us  who  may  have  entertained  any  fancies 
or  imaginings  of  beauty.  It  is  a  low,  dull,  lumpy  land,  and  the  sky 
over  it  is  generally  gray  and  overcast.  Higher  up  there  is  a  dense 
vegetation. 

We  were  four  days  from  Panama  when  we  ran  up  the  Guayas 
River  and  anchored  off  the  city  of  Guayaquil  which  serves  as  the 
port  of  Quito,  the  capital  of  Ecuador.  The  Guayas  River  is  the 
largest  that  drains  the  western  slope  of  the  Andes.  It  has  a  huge 
mouth  and  the  main  river  is  from  one  to  two  miles  wide.  Along 
the  banks  are  villages  of  thatched  bamboo  cottages  looking  as  if 
they  were  set  up  on  stilts.  All  sorts  of  tropical  vegetation  grow 
down  to  the  water's  edge.  Looking  up  the  river  the  vista  is  one  of 
conical  and  pinnacled  hills  of  living  green,  sparkling  in  verdure 
like  the  glistening  of  leaves  after  a  rainstorm.  Plantations  of  cacao 
and  sugar-cane  can  be  seen,  as  well  as  groves  of  cocoa-nut  palms 
and  bananas.  Beyond  are  the  foothills  of  the  Andes,  the  grazing 
land  on  which  pasture  large  herds  of  sheep  and  goats.  Above  these 
rise  the  peaks  of  the  Cordilleras,  but  only  the  summit  of  the  majestic 


It  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

volcano,  Chimborazo  (snow  mountain)  can  be  seen  from  this  point 
on  a  clear  day,  though  it  is  claimed  that  Cotopaxi  can  also  be  seen 
on  occasions. 

The  water  of  the  Guayas  is  very  muddy,  reminding  one  strongly 
of  pea-soup,  and  it  always  contains  much  debris  which  comes  down 
from  the  upper  woodlands.  Among  the  dense  vine-clad  forestry 
along  the  banks,  we  noticed  here  and  there  beautiful  specimens 
of  the  feathery  algaroba  and  many  fine  ebony  trees  from  which 
comes  the  hardest  and  most  durable  of  timber.  From  time  to  time 
beautiful  blue  water-hyacinths,  set  in  their  deep  green  leaves, 
floated  past,  giving  a  dash  of  local  coloring  to  the  swiftly  flowing 
muddy  stream. 

The  city  of  Guayaquil  is  forty  miles  inland,  but  the  Pacific 
steamers  are  able  to  make  the  entire  distance.  They  load  and  un- 
load in  front  of  the  city  by  means  of  lighters.  We  were  not  allowed 
to  land,  as  yellow  fever  and  bubonic  plague  were  prevalent  during 
the  time  of  our  visit.  As  soon  as  we  arrived  off  the  city  the  ship 
was  surrounded  by  tenders  and  lighters  to  take  off  and  put  on 
merchandise.  Other  kinds  of  craft  were  aplenty  and  many  visitors 
came  on  board.  As  at  all  the  ports  along  the  way,  quite  a  number 
came  out  for  purposes  of  trade  and  barter.  There  were  venders 
of  limes,  oranges,  and  other  fruits,  peddlers  loaded  down  with  great 
bundles  of  native  gew-gaws  and  knick-knacks,  clay  drinking  vessels, 
curiously  shaped  pottery  and  various  kinds  of  wicker  or  willow 
ware.  Women  were  going  about  selling,  or  trying  to  sell,  candy 
made  of  raw  cane-sugar  wrapped  in  banana  leaves  and  flat  cakes 
of  unleavened  pie-crusty  bread  which  looked  as  if  it  would  give 
dyspepsia  to  an  ostrich.  Below,  stokers  were  haggling  over  fruits, 
dulces,  and  black  cigarros,  and  doubtless  some  surreptitious  flasks 
of  p'lsco  changed  hands  in  the  bargaining.  Pisco  is  a  white  brandy 
much  affected  along  the  coast,  and  is  so  called  from  the  place  of 
that  name. 

As  Guayaquil  is  the  great  depot  and  distributing  center  for 
Panama  hats,  of  course  many  venders  of  the  costly  headgear  came 
aboard.  The  Panama  is  passing,  its  great  day  is  over,  the  day  when 
wealthy  planters  and  business  men  were  willing  to  give  $100  and 
more  for  one  of  the  finest  make.  Still  many  thousands  of  inferior 
grades  are  yet  sold  annually  in  this  section.  They  are  not  made 
at  Guayaquil,  but  at  a  little  group  of  villages  some  fifty  miles  inland 
from  the  coast.  The  grass  of  which  they  are  composed  is  called 
pe'ita  and   is   found   chiefly   in   the   neighboring  province   of    San 


ALONG  THE  WESTERN  COAST  79 

Cristobal.  The  best  are  braided  during  the  night  or  early  morning 
as  the  heat  of  the  day  renders  the  grass  brittle  and  it  breaks  in  the 
braiding.  It  takes  a  native  about  two  months  to  fashion  a  hat  ot 
good  quality.  We  were  told  of  a  hat  on  which  eighteen  months 
were  spent  and  which  was  valued  at  $400.  Such  are  no  longer 
made.  There  is  no  demand  for  them.  Most  of  the  Panamas  of 
commerce  are  but  mere  imitations  of  the  genuine  article.  Nearly 
all  the  hats  the  venders  brought  on  board  the  Huasco  ranged  in 
price  from  $5  to  $15.  A  fev/  went  beyond  the  latter  figure  and  we 
could  easily  recognize  their  value  as  they  were  of  very  fine  braid, 
so  closely  woven  as  to  resemble  linen. 

If  a  large  price  were  demanded  the  would-be  purchaser  seemed 
to  intuitively  feel  the  figure  was  exorbitant  and  that  the  vender 
was  trying  to  get  the  better  of  him,  so  the  amount  was  sure  to  he 
resented  and  a  much  lower  sum  offered,  or  the  seller  ignored 
altogether. 

"How  much?" 

"Viente,  Sefior!" 

"What !  Heaven  and  Earth !  Twenty  dollars  for  that  rag-piece !" 

"Quince?  Diez?  Cinco?" 

"Calla !  Calla !  Anda !  Shut  up !  Go  away !  I  don't  want  it  at  any 
price." 

Patience  becomes  exhausted,  and  thus  the  intended  victim 
expresses  his  indignation  in  both  English  and  pigeon  Spanish.  But 
the  persistent  vender  is  not  yet  through  with  him.  After  awhile 
he  comes  round  again  with  the  same  hat  and  holds  it  forth — 

"Cinco?  Cuatra?  Tres?  Dos?  Uno?" 

Too  disgusted  to  reply  the  traveler  turns  away  and  with  a  far- 
away look  in  his  eyes,  as  if  he  were  thinking  of  home  and  friends, 
gazes  longingly  toward  the  foothills  of  the  Andes. 

The  onlooker  watching  such  a  scene  and  listening  to  the 
extortionate  prices  demanded  and  the  deductions  made  to  effect  a 
sale  is  forced  to  ask  himself :  "Is  there  not  some  strain  of  the  race 
of  Father  Abraham  in  these  wily  natives  who  try  to  impose  upon 
their  fellow-men  by  asking  for  an  article  a  price  more  than  twenty 
times  its  real  value?"  Verily,  one  would  think  there  was,  and  that, 
after  all,  the  Lost  Tribe  of  Israel,  which  has  puzzled  the  ethnologists 
so  much  and  so  long,  must  have  wandered  down  to  South  America 
and  left  descendants  worthy  the  prominent  traits  of  their  fore- 
fathers. 

Guayaquil  looked  so  enchanting  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer 


80  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

that  we  were  sorry  we  were  not  allowed  to  land,  but  on  account  of 
the  yellow  fever  and  the  black  plague,  it  was  impossible  to  do  so. 

Several  newsboys  were  running  about  the  deck  crying  the  daily 
papers  with  a  lustiness  and  persistence  which  would  have  done 
justice  to  the  gamins  of  Park  Row  in  New  York.  One  passing  my 
cabin  was  shouting,  in  shrill  staccato,  El  Grito  del  Pueblo!  that  is, 
"The  Cry  of  the  People."  It  seemed  to  me  that  La  Voz  del  Pueblo 
would  have  been  a  better  title.  I  hastily  purchased  a  copy  and 
on  looking  over  its  columns  learned  that  the  day  previous  there  were 
thirty-one  cases  of  the  'Teste  negra,"  or  black  plague,  in  the  city, 
together  with  eight  cases  of  yellow  fever,  and  that  five  deaths 
had  resulted  from  the  latter  scourge.  It  was  reported  that  the 
black  plague  cases  had  increased  to  forty-three  for  the  current  day, 
and  we  inferred  that  this  number  was  an  underestimate,  for  the 
newspapers  are  averse  to  publishing  full  details,  lest  the  people 
should  become  panic-stricken.  In  diseases  of  this  kind  they  mini- 
mize, never  exaggerate. 

To  one  who  has  never  experienced  the  creepy  spell  of  a  fever- 
laden  atmosphere,  it  is  hard  to  explain  the  grewsome  feeling  that 
takes  hold  of  one  in  the  very  shadow  of  the  contagion.  And  as  we 
had  to  remain  two  whole  days  for  the  purpose  of  unloading  and 
reloading  we  had  reason  to  feel  somewhat  uneasy.  However,  the 
first  scare  over,  length  of  time  accustomed  us  to  circumstances  and 
surroundings  and  made  us,  at  least,  immune  to  fear. 

Seen  from  shipboard  the  city  of  Guayaquil  presents  a  view  of 
spires,  domes  and  roofs  surmounting  apparently  handsome  build- 
ings. The  houses  give  one  an  idea  of  solidity,  and  look  as  if  they 
were  constructed  in  the  solid  masonry  of  stone  and  marble,  but  in 
reality  they  are  mere  shells,  fashioned  of  split-bamboo,  laths  and 
wooden  joists,  and  covered  over  with  stucco,  fashioned  into  many 
shapes  and  designs.  A  person  might  easily  jab  the  blade  of  a 
knife  through  the  walls.  In  fact,  the  greater  portion  of  nearly  all 
the  South  American  cities  and  towns  are  built  on  the  same  flimsy 
lines.  There  is  little  of  solidity  about  them,  they  have  the  semblance, 
but  that  is  about  all.  The  architecture  for  the  most  part  is  patterned 
after  the  old  Spanish — open  patios,  latticed  balconies  overhead  and 
corrugated  roofs.  The  buildings  are  low,  one  and  two  story,  to 
provide  against  earthquakes — they  may  shake,  but  they  do  not 
fall. 

Guayaquil  was  founded  by  Orellana,  the  explorer  of  the  Amazon, 
m  1537  on  a  site  much  farther  inland  than  where  it  now  stands.  The 


ALONG  THE  WESTERN  COAST  S3 

present  location  was  chosen  in  1693.  Its  population  to-day  is  about 
60,000.  It  is  called  a  city  by  courtesy,  but  town  would  be  a  more 
ritting  appellation.  However,  Quito,  the  capital,  has  only  20,000 
more  people  and  is  not  by  any  means  so  important  a  commercial 
center. 

Guayaquil  extends  along  the  river  for  at  least  two  miles.  It  has 
a  custom-house,  town-hall,  cathedral,  and  some  very  good  ware- 
houses. The  mode  of  transit  is  represented  by  mule  tramways. 
Generally  speaking,  the  streets  are  narrow  and  unpaved. 

With  the  exception  of  Valparaiso,  Guayaquil  is  the  most  populous 
and  important  port  south  of  San  Francisco.  It  is  the  entrepot  for 
the  interior  region  as  well  as  much  of  the  coast.  Fully  ninety  per- 
cent, of  all  the  commerce  of  Ecuador  passes  through  it.  Three 
hundred  foreign  vessels  enter  and  clear  the  port  every  year.  The 
imports  annually  amount  to  upward  of  $7,000,000  while  the  exports 
for  the  same  time  figure  up  more  than  $9,000,000.  Chief  of  these 
is  cacao,  from  which  chocolate  is  made.  Ecuador  furnishes  about 
fifty  million  pounds  of  cacao  beans  yearly,  or  almost  one-third  of 
the  world's  output.  The  cacao  tree  somewhat  resembles  a  bush  in 
our  northern  latitudes  and  is  from  ten  to  twenty-five  feet  high. 
The  fruit-pods  are  rough,  oval  in  shape,  and  of  a  pinkish  yellow 
color.  They  are  filled  with  a  white  pulp  which  has  a  sharp  though 
pleasant  taste.  In  this  pulp  the  beans  are  imbedded  in  long  rows, 
from  twenty-four  to  thirty  in  each  pod.  When  taken  from  the  pod 
they  are  rubbed,  washed  and  dried. 

Other  exports  that  pass  through  Guayaquil  include  vegetable 
ivory  from  the  tagua  or  ivory  nut  of  which  from  forty-five  to 
fifty  million  pounds  are  gathered  annually,  valued  at  almost 
$1,000,000,  and  crude  rubber,  some  twelve  hundred  thousand 
pounds  a  year,  worth  from  $600,000  to  $700,000. 

No  one  can  doubt  that  Guayaquil  will  be  a  very  important  center 
when  the  Panama  Canal  is  opened.  The  distance  from  Guayaquil 
to  New  York  at  present  by  v/ater  is  11,500  miles.  With  the  opening 
of  the  Canal  this  will  be  lessened  to  2,800  miles.  Think  what  an 
impetus  will  thus  be  given  to  commerce  between  the  two  ports ! 

We  left  Guayaquil  on  the  morning  of  February  24th,  and  aided 
by  both  steam  and  tide  rapidly  descended  the  river.  The  water  was 
alive  with  craft  laden  with  produce.  We  observed  many  dugouts 
and  canoes  with  Indians  in  bright  colored  blankets.  Near  the 
mouth  of  the  river  we  passed  a  couple  of  balsas  or  house  rafts, 
tenanted  by  men,  women,  children,  pigs  and  poultry.    These  balsas 


84  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

are  said  to  be  unsinkable,  the  keel  being  constructed  from  cork. 
Indeed  some  of  the  men  and  women  seemed  to  be  made  of  cork 
also,  for  they  were  taking  a  bath,  bobbing  up  and  down  in  the 
water  seemingly  wholly  oblivious  or  regardless  of  alligator  or  man- 
eating  shark. 

Right  at  the  mouth  of  the  Guayas  River  lies  the  island  of  Puna, 
where  some  say  Pizarro  first  landed  on  his  way  to  conquer  Peru. 
But  it  is  doubtful  if  this  was  the  place.  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  Tumbez,  farther  along  the  coast,  was  the  first  landing-stage 
of  the  bold  ruffian  who  afterward,  with  but  one  hundred  and  eighty 
men  at  his  back,  set  out  to  subdue  the  powerful  Empire  of  the  Incas. 

Leaving  the  Guayas  behind  we  glided  into  the  Zambelli  Channel. 
We  could  discern  a  hazy  ridge  ahead  — Isla  de  Plata,  Little  Silver 
Island,  where  the  Spanish  pirates  of  these  waters  buried  great 
quantities  of  plunder.  None  of  the  gold  and  silver  has  been  found. 
Many  such  treasure  islands,  holding  buried  booty  of  buccaneers 
and  pirates,  lie  ofif  the  Pacific  Coast,  but  nobody  seems  to  have 
either  time  or  inclination  to  go  after  the  hidden  spoils. 

Passing  Tumbez  we  saw  a  line  of  sandy  beach,  bordered  by  man- 
groves and  algaroba  trees,  and  inland  a  low  crest  of  mountains. 
Probably  through  a  slit  in  such  a  fringe  of  woody  growth  Pizarro 
and  his  few  famishing  followers,  on  his  first  expedition,  forced 
their  boats  along,  well  nigh  four  hundred  years  ago.  If  this  was 
indeed  the  place,  the  Spanish  Conqueror  first  entered  it  in  1527. 
He  returned  to  Panama  and  thence  to  Spain,  bringing  tidings  of 
the  rich  land  he  had  seen.  It  was  in  1532  that  he  came  back  again, 
to  undertake  the  conquest  of  the  country. 

We  were  now  looking  on  the  shore  line  of  Peru,  dull  looking 
and  uninteresting  truly,  with  long  stretches  of  gray  matter,  which 
we  were  told  was  guano,  the  droppings  of  innumerable  wild  birds 
that  frequent  the  coasts.  This  is  the  beginning  of  the  great  South 
American  Desert  lying  between  the  mountains  and  the  ocean  and 
extending  through  Peru  and  Chile  for  more  than  two  thousand 
miles.  It  is  certainly  bare  and  barren  looking  with  not  a  leaf  of 
grass  or  vegetation,  nevertheless  it  is  considered  very  valuable 
on  account  of  the  guano  and  nitrates. 

Dull  as  it  appears  from  seaward,  who  can  look  on  this  land  for 
the  first  time  without  thrills  of  emotion?  Peru,  the  ancient,  with 
a  history  as  old  as  the  eternal  hills  of  the  Cordilleras,  whose  civiliza- 
tion extends  farther  back  than  any  of  which  the  Old  World  can 
boast,  antedating  that  of  Assyria  or  Babylonia,  Carthage  or  Mem- 


TREELESS  PAYTA,  PERU 


ANOTHER    TREELESS    TOWN,    WEST    COAST 


85 


I'.AMROO  IIOL'SKS  AXl)  SAND  STREET,  TAYTA 


A  STREET  SCENE,  PAYTA 


87 


ALONG  THE  WESTERN  COAST  89 

phis,  whose  people  were  skilled  artisans  one  thousand  years  before 
the  Pharaohs  cut  their  hieroglyphics  on  the  obelisks  of  Egypt,  whose 
bronzed  and  bearded  bards  sang  of  love  and  fame,  two  thousand 
years  before  Homer  lisped  his  numbers  in  the  myrtle  groves  of 
Greece,  and  whose  sons  and  daughters  had  set  up  the  throne  of  En- 
lightenment in  the  Temple  of  Knowledge  three  thousand  years  before 
Europe  had  emerged  from  the  darkness  of  ignorance.  Peru !  whose 
grandeur,  magnificence  and  riches  eclipsed  the  regal  glory  of  the 
Court  of  Solomon,  and  whose  treasures  would  have  made  the 
vaunted  wealth  of  Imperial.  Rome  pale  into  almost  insignificance 
by  contrast.  Peru !  whose  temples,  palaces  and  towers  flashed  their 
gold-incrusted  roofs  and  bejeweled  walls  in  the  sunlight,  defying 
all  succeeding  time  to  duplicate  their  splendors. 

The  wealth  of  the  Incas,  in  the  light  of  modern  conception,  really 
appears  fabulous.  Gold  was  everywhere.  The  yield  of  Ophir  and  of 
Ind  was  small  in  comparison  to  the  yellow  output  of  Peru.  And 
not  only  the  Incas  but  the  common  people  literally  wallowed  in 
wealth.  Spears,  swords,  shields,  breastplates,  helmets,  armor  of 
many  shapes,  were  fashioned  out  of  virgin  gold.  They  also  used  it 
in  the  construction  of  their  dwellings  and  they  dined  ofif  gold  plates 
incrusted  with  gems.  They  adorned  their  persons  with  jewels  of 
the  rarest  kinds.  We  read  of  giant  emeralds  as  big  as  men's  heads 
and  of  diamonds  and  sapphires  as  large  as  hen  eggs. 

The  Spanish  conquerors  only  got  a  small  part  of  the  treasures. 
Like  the  Aztecs  of  Mexico,  the  Incas  had  secret  treasure-houses  and 
secret  palaces  wherein  they  stored  vast  quantities  of  gold,  jewels 
and  other  precious  belongings.  No  amount  of  torture  could  make 
them  divulge  these  hiding-places,  and  it  is  supposed  that  in  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Andes  and  other  secret  places,  there  are  to-day  tons 
of  gold  and  other  precious  stores  awaiting  the  lucky  discoverers  of 
the  hidden  recesses. 

Lately  some  relics  of  the  long-gone  past  have  been  discovered  in 
Peru.  Highly  artistic  masks  and  toys,  made  by  the  Chimu  race  at 
least  five  thousand  years  before  Christ,  have  been  recently  un- 
earthed ;  the  workmanship  of  these  show  the  high  state  of  skill  and 
civilization  these  people  had  reached  at  this  early  period. 

There  to  larboard  lay  this  wonderful  land  of  Peru,  this  former 
empire  of  wealth  and  power;  soon  our  feet  would  tread  its  soil. 

In  the  gray  dawn  of  the  morning,  the  next  after  that  on  which  we 
had  left  the  Guayas  River,  after  passing  Punta  Parina,  the  extreme 
western  point  of  the  continent,  we  crept  into  the  harbor  of  Payta 


90  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

and  anchored.  This  is  the  first  Peruvian  port  reached  from  the 
North.  The  town  has  a  population  of  5,000,  most  of  whom  are 
Indians.  It  is  a  miserable  collection  of  mud-huts,  a  desolate  place 
in  a  surrounding  desert,  with  seemingly  nothing  to  justify  its 
existence,  but  we  find  it  is  the  port  for  Piura,  a  cotton-producing 
center  some  miles  inland.  There  is  nothing  green  to  refresh  the 
eye,  not  a  spear  of  grass  or  leaf  of  vegetation  of  any  kind,  only  the 
bare,  brown  hills  of  the  desert  around  it.  One  is  forced  to  wonder 
how  people  live  at  all  in  such  an  arid  place,  but  live  they  do,  and 
most  of  them  to  a  good  old  age  too,  as  we  were  told,  besides  getting 
ocular  proof  of  the  fact.  Some  only  die  through  extreme  old  age 
and  sheer  weariness  of  existence.  There  are  many  cases  of  remark- 
able longevity. 

There  is  no  lack  of  commotion  in  the  harbor  when  the  steamer 
anchors.  The  captain  of  the  port,  in  brilliant  uniform,  with  his 
crew  in  white  caps,  blue  blouses  and  red  trousers,  comes  out  for 
inspection.  Numerous  rowboats  pull  alongside,  the  fleteros  or  boat- 
men soliciting  custom  by  shouting,  "A  tierra,  a  tierra,  Senor!"  One 
must  patronize  them  if  he  wants  to  go  ashore.  We  got  into  one  of 
these  little  boats  and  were  rowed  to  the  landing-stage. 

We  wandered  about  the  dusty,  hot,  smelling,  unpaved  streets, 
viewing  the  rickety,  split-bamboo,  little  houses  and  studying  the 
types  of  humanity  we  encountered.  Some  were  selling  post-cards, 
not  of  Payta — there  is  none — but  of  Piura,  the  larger  town  inland. 
Others  were  offering  Panama  hats  and  haggling  over  prices.  We 
met  many  water-carriers  going  from  house  to  house  along  the  dusty 
streets;  they  do  not  carry  the  water  themselves  but  load  it  in  little 
kegs  on  the  backs  of  mules.  They  had  such  a  primitive  appearance 
that  they  looked  as  though  Pizarro  himself  might  have  employed 
them.  The  water  is  brought  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles  from  a 
fertile  inland  valley. 

In  the  region  of  Payta  it  is  said  rain  falls  only  once  in  fourteen 
years,  but  some  maintain  it  never  rains  at  all,  and  I  am  inclined 
to  endorse  them.  In  fact  I  believe  that  rain  never  falls  on  any 
part  of  the  whole  Peruvian  littoral.  Our  steamer  ran  parallel  with 
the  shore  all  the  way  and  we  saw  no  indication  whatever  of  moist- 
ure— nothing  but  sand,  nitrates  and  guano,  and  higher  up  barren 
rocks,  unlike  the  Ecuador  coast  where,  at  the  same  altitude,  there 
is  exuberant  vegetation.  Of  course  in  little  intervening  valleys 
patches  of  rice  and  sugar-cane  grow,  but  these  patches  are  not  on 
the  shore. 


DRIED    FISH    MARKET,    PAYTA 


CUSTOM    HOUSE,    PAYTA 


91 


ALONG  THE  WESTERN  COAST  93 

We  visited  the  open-air  market-place  at  Payta,  where  we  saw 
many  kinds  of  fruits  and  vegetables,  fresh  and  of  very  good  quality. 
We  noticed  melons,  alligator  pears  ("palta"),  granadillas,  lemons 
and  cherimozas,  the  last-mentioned  being  considered  the  finest  fruit 
along  the  coast.  It  is  green  in  color,  somewhat  pear-shaped  and 
about  live  inches  in  diameter.  There  is  a  number  of  brown  seeds  in 
the  center;  the  meaty  part  is  yellow-white  and  has  the  consistency 
of  custard,  so  it  has  been  likened  to  strawberries  and  cream.  The 
granadilla  is  also  highly  prized.  It  is  the  fruit  of  a  climbing  vine, 
a  species  of  the  passion  flower;  it  is  egg-shaped,  has  a  reddish  skin 
and  is  as  large  as  an  ordinary  turnip;  the  pulp  is  acidly  sweet  in 
taste.  The,  *'palta,"  or  alligator  pear,  is  a  delicious  fruit ;  it  is  from 
one  to  two  pounds  in  weight  and  has  a  greenish-yellow  pulp  which 
melts  like  marrow  in  the  mouth.  There  were  many  other  tropical 
fruits  exposed  for  sale,  but  it  was  impossible  to  sample  all. 

Dreary  as  Payta  is  the  romancers  have  twined  a  few  legends 
around  it.  One  of  these  tells  of  a  flock  ^,f  goats  which  constantl}" 
come  down  from  the  foothills  for  water.  By  the  time  they  get  back 
to  the  hills  they  are  so  thirsty  they  have  to  come  down  again,  and 
so  the  goat-march  is  continually  kept  up. 

Another  legend  is  associated  with  the  church  of  Santa  Merced. 
It  is  told  that  an  f^nglish  Commander  named  Anson  once  sacked 
this  church,  and  that  one  of  his  followers,  seeing  the  statue  of  the 
Virgin,  struck  it  on  the  neck  with  his  sword,  whereupon  blood 
gushed  forth.  The  statue  is  still  in  the  church  and  on  each  anniver- 
sary of  its  desecration,  it  is  claimed,  blood  trickles  from  the  spot 
the  soldier  struck.  As  I  was  not  there  on  an  anniversary  day  I 
can  neither  deny  nor  affirm. 

Besides  cotton,  large  quantities  of  petroleum  are  shipped 
through  the  port  of  Payta. 

Dull  as  the  place  is  now  it  may  have  an  active  future.  The  har- 
bor can  be  made  a  good  one,  as  there  are  facilities  for  the  construc- 
tion of  docks  and  wharves.  After  the  Canal  is  opened  it  may  be- 
come the  leading  gateway  for  the  Amazon  country. 

During  stops  at  Eten,  Pascamayo  and  Salaverry,  the  last  named 
after  the  popular  dramatic  poet,  many  sacks  of  rice  were  taken  on 
board.  Rice  is  a  staple  food  in  all  these  coast  towns,  it  forms  part 
of  the  daily  menu.  We  get  it  ourselves  on  board,  served  up  as  a 
plat  de  resistance,  mixed  with  red  chilli  pepper. 

Eten  is  only  a  collection  of  little  mud  huts  with  a  few  ware- 
houses. 


94  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

At  Pascamayo  there  is  a  fine  iron  mole,  half  a  mile  long,  on  which 
freight  is  run  out  on  the  cars  of  the  Peruvian  Corporation  Railway. 
This  railway  connects  Pascamayo  with  many  towns  of  the  rich 
Jequetepec  valley.  One  of  these  is  Cajamarca,  an  ancient  seat 
of  the  Incas,  where  Atahualpa,  the  last  of  them,  was  murdered  by 
the  cruel  Pizarro.  Ruins  of  the  Incas'  palace  remain,  and  even  the 
site  is  pointed  out  of  the  room  which  Atahualpa  filled  with  gold  to 
satisfy  Spanish  greed  and  save  his  life,  but  in  vain. 

The  country  all  around  Pascamayo  is  rich  in  mementoes  of  Incan 
civilization.  Here  can  be  seen  fine  specimens  of  the  ancient  huaca 
or  pottery  vases  that  tinkle  when  water  is  poured  into  them. 

Just  before  leaving  Pascamayo  we  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
one  of  those  diminutive  sea  skimmers  called  caballitos  or  little 
horses.  The  caballito  is  simply  a  bundle  of  straws  tied  to  a  fiat 
board.  The  manipulator  straddles  it  as  he  would  a  horse  and  rides 
the  waves  with  buoyancy  and  at  a  fair  speed. 

We  had  planned  a  special  excursion  from  Salaverry,  the  port  for 
the  ancient  town  of  Truxillo,  named  by  Pizarro  after  his  birthplace 
in  sunny  Spain,  our  intention  being  a  visit  to  the  ruins  of  the  Grand 
Chimu,  but  a  dense  fog  brought  the  Huasco  to  a  dead  stop  for 
the  greater  part  of  a  day,  so  that  when  we  arrived  in  port  we  were  too 
late  for  the  train. 

Salaverry  is  the  outlet  for  a  rich  agricultural  district  especially 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  sugar-cane.  From  this  port  to  Callao  our 
steamer  resembled  a  floating  menagerie.  We  had  one  hundred  and 
fifty  steers  on  board,  besides  crates,  coops  and  boxes  of  chickens 
and  ducks.  We  also  had  parrots — cages  of  them;  I  counted  thir- 
ty-five of  these  screaming,  ear-splitting,  nerve-wrecking,  peace-de- 
stroying nuisances. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  March  1,  we  arrived  at  Callao,  the  port 
of  Lima,  after  a  run,  or  rather  a  crawl,  of  thirty-six  hours  from 
Salaverry,  and  fourteen  days  out  from  Panama.  By  an  ordinarily 
fast  steamer  and  without  making  stops,  this  journey,  which  is  only 
fifteen  hundred  miles,  could  be  easily  accomplished  in  three  days. 

Callao  has  a  fine  harbor,  stone  pier  and  superior  dock  accommo- 
dation. There  is  always  a  bustle  and  activity  which  reminds  one  of 
a  busy  Northern  port.  More  than  a  thousand  vessels  touch  here 
every  year.  There  was  a  perfect  forest  of  masts  and  spars — the 
merchantmen  of  many  nations.  Everywhere  both  afloat  and  ashore 
there  were  signs  of  the  restless  activity  which  characterizes  the 
place. 


ON    THE    PLAZA,    PAYTA,    "THE    ONLY    BIT    OF   GREEN' 


CATHEDRAL  AND  PLAZA.   PAYTA 


HARBOR    SCENE,    CALLAO 


A   SUBURB   OF   CALLAO 


ALONG  THE  WESTERN 'COAST  1^0! 

Housetops,  church  spires  and  factory  chimneys  reflected  the 
morning  sunshine  in  which  they  appeared  solid  structures  of  archi- 
tectural beauty,  but  here,  as  at  Guayquil,  it  was  a  case  of  semblance 
not  substance.  The  solid  looking  beauty  was  effected  by  stucco  and 
plaster-of-Paris. 

When  we  got  into  the  town  we  found  it  dreary  and  uninviting; 
the  houses  were  similar  to  those  we  had  seen,  constructed  of  wood, 
cane  and  bamboo,  covered  over  with  plaster.  The  streets  were  very 
dusty.  We  were  told  the  dust  is  sometimes  converted  into  an  almost 
impassable  mire  by  the  fine  mist  of  the  winter  season.  This  mist 
serves  the  purpose  of  rain,  for  Callao,  in  common  with  the  other 
coast  towns,  is  rainless  too. 

We  did  not  visit  old  Callao,  which  stands  farther  out  on  the  point 
than  the  present  town.  In  "746  it  was  almost  totally  destroyed  by 
an  earthquake,  when  four  thousand  people  perished. 

The  modern  town  also  has  had  its  vicissitudes.  It,  too,  has  often 
suffered  from  fires  and  earthquakes,  besides  coming  in  for  a  share 
of  misfortunes  in  other  respects.  The  Spaniards  bombarded  it  in 
1866  and  fourteen  years  later  the  Chileans  left  but  little  behind 
them.  However,  it  has  always  rallied  and  to-day  has  a  population 
of  twenty  thousand  and  is  a  port  from  which  a  vast  commerce  is 
carried  on  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  principal  exports  that 
pass  through  its  gateway  are  cotton,  sugar,  rice,  rubber,  chinchona 
bark  from  which  we  obtain  quinine,  dyes,  alpaca  sheep's  wool, 
llama's  wool,  gold,  copper  and  silver  . 

We  did  not  remain  long  in  Callao,  as  it  did  not  appeal  to  us,  and 
besides  we  were  eager  to  get  to  Lima.  To  reach  the  electric  train 
we  had  to  jostle  and  elbow  our  way  past  sailors,  boatmen,  freight 
donkeys,  water-carriers,  venders  of  fruits,  boys  selling  lottery  tick- 
ets at  the  corners  and  many  other  nondescript  characters  who  im- 
peded our  progress  to  a  considerable  degree. 

At  length,  almost  out  of  breath  and  perspiring  freely,  we  got  on 
the  cars  and  in  half  an  hour  more  found  ourselves  in  the  City 
Pizarro  founded  in  1535 — Lima,  the  capital  of  Peru. 


CHAPTER  V 


LIMA,  THE  CAPITAL  OF  PERU 


IMPRESSIONS    OF    THE    CITY    OF    PIZARRO 

The  City  of  the  Kings  calls  up  many  memories  of  the  past  as  one 
looks  upon  it  for  the  first  time,  saunters  through  its  quaint  streets, 
and  gazes  upon  its  relics  of  former  greatness  and  power.  The  trav- 
eler feels  somewhat  the  same  emotions  as  he  does  in  contemplating 
the  ruins  of  Old  Rome — his  thoughts  are  of  a  by-gone  period  and  it 
becomes  difficult  for  him  to  concentrate  his  mind  on  his  surround- 
ings in  order  to  study  the  realities  of  the  present.  Nevertheless, 
the  march  of  modern  progress  and  the  introduction  of  new  ideas 
have  done  much  to  obliterate  the  landmarks  of  other  days.  But 
few  objects  remain  to  bear  witness  to  its  early  history  of  greatness 
and  importance.  There  is  the  old  palace  of  the  Holy  Inquisition, 
now  the  Senate  Chamber  of  the  Peruvian  Congress;  in  this  build- 
ing tortures  were  meted  out  to  ''heretics"  and  non-conformists  for 
years  after  such  practices  were  suppressed  in  Europe — the  knout, 
the  lash,  the  thumbscrew  and  the  rack  being  in  almost  daily  requisi- 
tion. The  old  ceiling,  which  looked  down  on  revolting  scenes  of 
religious  frenzy  and  fanaticism,  still  bends  above  the  heads  of  Solons 
and  legislators,  though  the  effacing  fingers  of  the  years  have  given 
it  some  hard  scratchings  in  passing.  It  is  of  dark  wood,  was 
exquisitely  carved  and  is  still  beautiful  despite  the  fact  that  many 
of  the  lines  have  lost  their  tracery  through  decay.  This  ceiling  was 
a  gift  from  the  monks  of  the  mother  country  of  the  conquistadores, 
and  dates  back  to  1560. 

The  House  of  the  Viceroys  can  still  be  seen,  grim  landmark  in- 
deed of  a  blood-stained  era  of  rapine  and  pillage.  Through  its  door 
on  that  fateful  Sunday  evening  in  June,  1541,  the  Almagrists  under 

102 


"CITY  OF  THE  KINGS"  103 

De  Rada  rushed  forth  in  irresistible  fury  and  hewed  down  the  Sep- 
tuagenarian conquistador,  who  had  w^on  for  Spain  an  empire,  while 
at  the  same  time  writing  in  her  history  a  carmine  page  of  infamy 
and  shame. 

That  building  across  the  way,  where  the  House  of  Deputies  now 
meet,  was  the  Colegio  de  San  Marcos — the  College  of  St.  Mark. 
This  was  the  first  University  in  the  Western  world,  having  been 
founded  by  King  Charles  V.  in  1551,  long  before  Henry  Hudson 
sighted  the  river  which  bears  his  name  or  the  first  Dutch  hut  was 
erected  on  Manhattan  Island.  In  1752  it  was  raised  to  the  dignity 
of  a  University,  by  a  charter  granted  to  the  Jesuits  under  hand  and 
seal  of  Philip  II.  The  present  University  building  includes  the 
College  of  San  Carlos,  founded  in  1770,  where  most  of  the  better 
class  of  Peruvian  youth  are  educated.  Several  hundred  names  are 
on  the  rostrum. 

But  the  strongest  reminder  of  the  past  is  the  desiccated  body  of 
the  notorious  yet  fearless  adventurer  himself,  which  is  preserved 
in  a  glass  case  in  the  cathedral.  In  expectation  of  a  monetary 
consideration,  the  sacristan  or  some  of  the  monks  will  lead  you 
to  this  case  and  allow  you  to  gaze  on  the  withered  mummy  once 
animated  by  the  most  indomitable  spirit  probably  of  which  the 
history  of  the  world  makes  record.  Who  can  look  unmoved  upon 
the  mortal  remains  of  Pizarro !  Washington  Irving,  in  writing  of 
his  visit  to  Stratford-on-Avon,  tells  of  meeting  a  man  who  had  been 
present  when  some  work  was  being  done  on  the  tomb  of  Shakes- 
peare, and  who  had  looked  into  the  sarcophagus  on  the  dust  of  the 
Uiustrious  bard.  In  gentle  irony  the  gifted  American  writer 
exclaims :  "We  think  'twas  something  to  have  seen  the  man  who 
had  seen  the  bones  of  Shakespeare."  We  may  be  pardoned  when 
we  say :  "We  think  'twas  something  to  have  gazed  upon  the  earthly 
tenement  of  Pizarro." 

The  capital  of  Peru  was  founded  by  Pizarro  on  Epiphany  Day. 
January  6,  1535,  and  called  by  him  Ciudad  de  los  Reyes,  "the 
City  of  the  Kings,"  in  allusion  to  the  Magi  who  came  to  worship 
at  the  nativity  of  the  Saviour.  Pizarro  was  almost  as  much  of  a 
builder  and  founder  as  Rameses  the  Great.  As  soon  as  he  had  laid 
out  the  boundaries  of  the  city,  the  Spaniards  flocked  into  Peru 
from  Spain  by  the  thousands.  The  name.  City  of  Kings,  was 
retained  by  the  capital  officially  for  upward  of  two  centuries.  It 
became  the  seat  of  the  succeeding  Viceroys  of  Peru,  who  during 
most  of  the  Colonial   Period,  ruled  nearly  all  of   Spanish   South 


104  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

America.  Their  Court  was  resplendent  with  the  pomp  and  panoply 
of  power,  and  became  the  most  magnificent  in  all  America.  Indeed 
its  grandeur  even  to  this  day  has  never  been  equalled,  much  less 
eclipsed.  The  Church,  then  as  now,  according  to  Spanish  observances 
from  the  earliest  times  of  her  history,  was  regarded  as  supreme 
both  at  home  and  abroad.  She  was  given  first  place  and  all  bowed 
to  her  dictum.  Therefore  the  Archbishop  of  Lima  was  considered 
the  most  important  prelate  of  the  Western  Continent.  His  rule 
was  arbitrary,  and  there  was  no  gainsaying  his  behests,  injunctions 
or  commands.  In  Lima,  too,  the  religious  orders  had  their  head- 
quarters, and,  as  has  been  stated,  it  was  the  center  of  the  Holy 
Inquisition,  whose  office  was  to  make  all  conform  to  the  dictates 
of  the  Church  or  suffer  the  consequences.  Church  buildings  sprang 
up  as  if  by  magic,  many  of  them  costly  and  imposing  in  construc- 
tion. The  Cathedral  of  Lima  was  and  is  one  of  the  finest,  if  not 
the  very  finest,  of  ecclesiastical  buildings  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere.  The  original  cost  of  erection  was  about  nine  million 
dollars,  most  of  which  was  taken  from  the  ninety  millions  Pizarro 
stole  from  the  Incas.  It  was  almost  wholly  destroyed  by  the 
terrible  earthquake  of  1746;  but  preparations  were  immediately 
made  to  replace  it,  and  it  was  rebuilt  on  the  first  foundations.  It 
stands  on  the  Plaza  Mayor,  one  of  the  finest  public  squares  in  the 
world.  It  is  on  an  elevated  marble  terrace  raised  about  six  feet 
above  the  surrounding  space.  It  has  the  usual  two  towers  of 
imposing  height,  and  the  massive  portal  entrance  is  in  the  Moorish 
style.  The  older  parts,  including  most  of  the  pillars  and  columns, 
are  of  red  marble,  and  offer  somewhat  of  a  striking  contrast  to 
modern  additions  in  brick,  stucco  and  wood.  The  interior  is 
impressive,  rich  in  ecclestiastical  furnishings  and  trappings,  many 
of  the  statues,  ornaments  and  other  adornments  being  constructed 
of  solid  silver — in  fact  a  few  are  of  virgin  gold  encrusted  with 
precious  stones.  It  has  one  of  the  best-toned  organs  in  America. 
Besides  containing  the  remains  of  Pizarro,  the  cofiins  of  several 
of  the  succeeding  Viceroys  are  in  the  crypt. 

There  were  some  seventy  other  churches  within  the  confines  of 
Lima,  but  several  have  been  turned  over  to  secular  uses.  One  of 
these  churches,  that  of  Santo  Domingo,  can  lay  claim  to  even  a 
greater  fame  than  the  Cathedral,  in  being  the  receptacle  of  the 
body  of  a  mortal  who  was  not  a  conquistador,  a  fighter  or  an 
adventurer,  but  a  true  servant  of  God,  who  passed  her  life  in 
penitence   and  prayer  and  was  a   bright  exemplar  for  all   in   her 


CATHEDRAL,    LIMA 


FACADE  OF  CATHEDRAL,  LIMA 


105 


"CITY  OF  THE  KINGS"  107 

community.  This  is  the  famous  Rosa  de  Lima,  honored  in  the 
Roman  Hturgy  as  St.  Rose  of  Lima.  She  was  canonized  in  1668, 
and  many  Roman  Catholic  churches  throughout  the  world  have 
been  dedicated  to  her.  There  is  one  on  West  165th  Street,  New 
York  City. 

Ecclesiastical  prerogative?  and  privileges  still  remain  the  same 
in  Lima,  and  indeed  throughout  all  Peru.  Although  the  country 
proclaimed  her  independence  of  the  motherland  in  1821,  being  the 
very  last  of  the  South  American  possessions  to  throw  ofif  the 
Spanish  yoke,  the  power  of  the  Church  has  remained  unabridged, 
and  religious  freedom  is  denied  to  the  masses. 

Taken  by  San  Martin,  July  9,  1821,  Lima  remained  in  the  hands 
of  the  patriots,  with  slight  interruptions,  during  the  war  for  inde- 
pendence. It  has  always  been  the  focal  point  around  which  the 
contending  parties  have  centered.  Throughout  the  civil  wars  its 
possession  always  indicated  the  party  having  the  upper  hand.  As 
the  capital  of  the  Peru-Bohvian  Confederation,  1836-1838,  it  was 
taken  by  the  Chileans,  who  united  with  Gamana  and  other  revolu- 
tionists. It  was  again  occupied  by  the  Chileans,  after  several  severe 
battles  ,January  17,  1881,  and  was  held  by  them  until  October  22, 
1883.  During  this  occupation  great  damage  was  done  to  the  city, 
especially  to  the  noteworthy  public  buildings.  The  once  famous 
museum  and  great  public  library  were  looted.  The  historic  picture 
entitled  **The  Death  of  Atahualpa"  was  cut  from  its  frame  and  sent 
to  Santiago,  but  protests  from  foreign  diplomats  and  others  in 
power  who  were  incensed  at  the  spoliation  compelled  its  return.  It 
now  hangs  in  the  Exposition  gallery. 

When  the  war  between  Chile  and  Peru  commenced,  the  latter 
country  was  the  dominant  power  on  the  West  Coast.  She  had 
wealth,  she  had  an  army  and  navy  supposedly  much  stronger  than 
those  of  her  opponent.  Her  capital  had  the  prestige  which  attaches 
to  the  past,  the  seat  of  conquistadores  and  conquerors,  and  she  had 
the  traditions  of  the  best  blood  of  the  land.  Yet,  when  the  war 
ended  she  was  conquered,  subdued,  beaten,  broken,  probably  never 
again  to  lift  her  head  in  the  pride  of  her  former  greatness  and 
glory.  Her  ships  were  captured  or  sunk,  her  fighting  men  had 
gone,  her  sea-ports  and  towns  were  razed  and  her  boasted  capital 
sacked  by  the  invaders  and  despoiled  of  its  best  treasures.  The 
Chileans  had  become  the  masters  of  the  West.  They  made  their 
way  northward  for  hundreds  of  miles,  taking  away  from  Bolivia 
her  Pacific  outlet,  sealing  her  up  in  the  interior  among  the  moun- 


108  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

tains.  They  stripped  Peru  of  the  enormously  rich  province  of 
Tarapaca;  two  other  provinces,  Tacna  and  Arica,  were  also  ceded 
to  Chile  for  a  term  of  ten  years.  That  time  expired  in  1893  and 
Peru  was  powerless  to  regain  them.  From  these  nitrate  provinces 
Chile,  up  to  the  present,  has  collected  almost  half  a  billion  dollars 
in  exports — indeed  the  wealth  in  nitrates  seems  to  be  inexhaustible. 
In  fact,  no  other  country  in  the  world  has  ever  paid  such  tribute  as 
has  Peru.  The  subjugation  of  Peru  was  merely  the  oft  repeated 
case  of  new  methods  overcoming  the  old,  of  modern  progress 
passing  ancient  traditions  on  the  way,  and  leaving  them  far  behind 
to  linger  in  the  gray  mists  of  history. 

Still,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  Peru  made  a  brave,  even  a  gallant 
stand  against  the  invaders.  Colonel  Francisco  Bolognesi  proved 
himself  a  capable  leader  as  well  as  a  fearless  soldier.  At  the  battle 
of  Arica,  where  he  fell,  when  called  upon  to  surrender  he  defiantly 
yelled — ''Al  ultimo  cartucho,"  and  indeed  he  and  his  two  thousand 
Peruvian  followers,  though  surrounded  by  more  than  twice  that 
number  of  the  enemy,  literally  did  fight  ''to  the  last  cartridge." 
When  their  ammunition  was  gone  they  fought  hand  to  hand  and 
valiantly  died  to  the  last  man.  Bolognesi's  brave  lieutenant,  Ugarte, 
rather  than  surrender  spurred  his  horse  of¥  the  clifif  and  plunged 
sheer  seven  hundred  feet  into  the  sea  beneath.  In  many  Peruvian 
homes  you  will  see  lithographs  of  this  last,  wild,  despairing  leap 
of  the  gallant  Alfonso  Ugarte.  Bolognesi  himself  was  cut  down, 
and  as  he  fell  he  wrapped  the  Peruvian  flag  around  his  body  and 
breathed  his  last  farewell  into  the  folds  he  loved  so  well,  for  which 
he  fought  so  well,  and  for  which  he  gave  up  his  life.  Alas,  the 
struggle  was  in  vain !  There  is  no  indication  at  present  that  Peru 
will  ever  regain  her  former  greatness.  Unless  some  untoward  and 
unthought  of  circumstances  arise  to  compel  her,  Chile  will  never 
give  up  the  captured  territory. 

Although  Peru  has  had  her  siege  of  Paris  and  her  Sedan,  and 
lost,  too,  an  Alsace  and  Lorraine,  like  France  she  is  also  emerging 
from  the  shadow  of  the  valley  into  a  brighter  day,  even  if  her  sun 
may  never  shine  again  with  the  brilliancy  of  a  former  glory.  She 
is  trying  to  forget  the  bitterness  of  defeat  and  is  beginning  to  make 
the  best  of  her  present  situation  and  conditions.  She  is  developing 
her  industrial  resources,  opening  copper  and  silver  mines,  erecting 
cotton  mills,  building  sugar  refineries,  drilling  oil-wells,  making 
roads,  irrigating  her  plains  into  fertile  fields,  constructing  steam- 
ships,  enlarging  harbors   and   in   a   hundred   other   ways   bringing 


CATHEDRAL    AND    PLAZA,    LIMA 


DISTANT  VIEW  OF  CATHEDRAL  AND  PLAZA,  LIMA 


109 


"CITY  OF  THE  KINGS"  111 

millions  of  dollars  of  capital  from  other  lands  to  enrich  her  own. 
Within  the  past  ten  years  the  value  of  Peruvian  exports  has  risen 
from  twelve  to  thirty  million  dollars. 

Her  capital  is  taking  on  a  new  life,  as  it  were — shaking  ofif  the 
eiifects  of  the  trials  and  harassing  vicissitudes  through  which  it 
has  passed  and  reaching  for  a  place  among  the  progressive  common- 
wealths of  the  modern  world.  Of  course  the  spirit  of  the  past 
still  hovers  around  and  over  it,  but  the  genius  of  the  present  is 
exerting  a  power  which  is  impelling  the  old  city  forward  by  steady 
degrees.  The  strides  may  be  slow,  but  nevertheless  they  are 
advancing. 

True,  the  scars  of  past  wounds  are  observable  in  many  places 
yet,  but  they  are  gradually  disappearing.  The  last  wound  cut  deep ; 
it  was  inflicted  but  a  few  years  ago — 1897  to  be  exact — when 
ex-President  Pierola  entered  the  place  with  his  revolutionists  and 
more  than  three  thousand  people  were  slaughtered  in  the  drowsy 
streets  within  the  space  of  three  days. 

Pierola  deposed  old  President  Carceres.  He  trained  his  Catling 
guns  against  the  city  and  raked  the  streets  with  steel  and  lead. 
The  dead  were  carried  out  by  the  mule-load,  and  there  were  so 
many  troop  horses  killed  that  their  bodies  could  not  be  interred — 
they  were  sprinkled  with  coal-oil  and  burned. 

The  Limenos  are  bravely  trying  to  forget  the  scenes  of  violence 
through  which  they  have  passed.  They  are  letting  the  dead  past 
bury  its  dead,  and  have  no  desire  whatever  to  resurrect  the 
skeletons.  They  have  faith  in  the  present  and  hope  for  the  future. 
They  are  endeavoring  to  emulate  the  best  examples  of  Europe  and 
the  United  States. 

Lima  has  its  social  set  fashioned  on  similar  lines  to  the  beau 
monde  of  the  Bois  de  Bolougne,  Rotten  Row  and  Fifth  Avenue. 
They  may  not  have  such  great  wealth,  but  they  have  the  pretensions 
and  their  tastes  are  just  as  esthetic.  Well-dressed  ladies  can  be 
seen  lolling  indolently  on  the  silk  cushions  of  carriages,  victorias, 
and  landaus,  attended  by  smartly  groomed,  well-uniformed  footmen, 
taking  their  morning  or  evening  drives  through  the  squares  and 
suburbs.  Gentlemen  whizz  by  in  limousines  and  tonneaus  with  a 
recklessness  worthy  of  New  York  itself. 

The  clubs  are  as  up  to  date  and  in  some  cases  surpass  any  we 
have  at  home.  There  is  a  spirit  of  camaraderie  and  good-fellowship 
which  makes  one  feel  immediately  at  ease  and  in  spirit  with  his 
surroundings.     Polish,   politeness   and   good   breeding   are   met   at 


112  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

every  turn.  There  are  also  most  of  the  modern  conveniences  from 
the  cuisine  of  the  kitchen  to  the  well-appointed  billiard,  smoking 
and  reading  rooms.  In  the  last  mentioned  the  visitor  can  find 
the  leading  magazines  and  newspapers  representing  the  chief 
civilizations  of  the  world.  He  can  pick  up  the  New  York  Herald, 
the  Illustrated  London  News,  the  Times,  La  Temps,  Fliegende 
Blatter,  the  Melbourne  Argus  and  dozens  of  others  of  foreign 
periodicals,  besides  the  home  productions  such  as  FA  Comercio  and 
La  Prensa  of  Lima  and  the  Caras  y  Caretas  of  Buenos  Aires.  In 
a  word,  he  has  the  latest  news  of  the  world  at  his  elbow,  so  that 
in  a  moment  he  can  with  extensive  view  "survey  mankind  from 
China  to  Peru." 

The  hotels  of  Lima  can  very  favorably  compare  with  those  of 
cities  of  similar  size  in  any  part  of  the  United  States  or  even  of 
Europe. 

The  most  fashionable  promenade  of  Lima  is  the  beautiful  paseo 
drive,  known  as  the  Colon.  A  band  generally  plays  here  in  the 
afternoons  and  the  youth  and  fashion  of  the  city  turn  out  in  great 
numbers.  Some  come  in  fine  carriages  and  luxuriantly  recline  on 
the  cushions  to  drink  in  the  delicious  music. 

The  main  artery  or  pulse  of  the  community  is  the  wide  plaza 
which  is  occupied  on  one  side  by  the  Cathedral.  The  National 
Palace,  which  as  we  have  said,  is  now  given  over  to  State  functions, 
takes  up  another ;  on  a  third  we  find  hotels,  clubs,  shops  and  various 
other  buildings.  The  enclosed  space  is  laid  out  with  flowers  and 
tropical  shrubs,  in  the  midst  of  which  a  marble  fountain  constantly 
plays,  its  spray  of  waters  producing  many  beautiful  iridescent 
tints  of  coloring  in  the  sunshine  by  day  and  in  the  artificial  light 
by  night.  This  plaza,  however,  is  not  a  fashionable  promenade.  In 
this  respect  it  is  not  like  the  Colon.  Wealth,  fashion  or  rank 
scarcely  ever  appear  here.  The  elite  of  society  seldom,  if  ever, 
come.  The  visitors  and  habitues  generally  belong  to  the  lower 
middle  class  and  to  the  pueblo  or  common  working  class.  Here 
these  people  enjoy  themselves  in  the  cool  of  the  evenings  after 
the  day's  toil,  and  drink  in  the  soft  balmy  air  charged  with  luscious 
scents  from  myriads  of  odoriferous  flowers  and  shrubs. 

As  regards  its  general  aspect,  Lima  is  a  pleasing  city,  but  its 
seeming  grandeur  is  counterfeit,  only  apparent  to  the  vision.  There 
is  little  of  solidity  about  it.  When  seen  from  the  harbor  its  roofs, 
towers  and  church-spires  stand  out  against  the  background  of  the 
Andean  foothills  and  gleam  white  in  the  light  of  day,  as  if  they 


STREET   SCENE,   LIMA 


^-Av'v:.  ^<m 


'rT-,:j.Z.U    -^^    -f:: 


RIM  AC     RIVER  AT    LIMA 


Jl? 


"CITY  OF  THE  KINGS"  115 

were  composed  of  Carrara  marble.  This  deceptive  appearance  is 
accentuated  to  a  great  degree  by  the  neutral  tints  of  the  surrounding 
desert  land.  In  reality  most  of  the  buildings  are  composed  of  sun- 
dried  brick,  mud,  bamboo  splits  or  lath  and  lime,  covered  v^ith 
stucco  and  plaster-of-paris,  in  many  places  molded  into  artistic 
and  fantistic  shapes  and  forms  to  catch  the  eye.  Architecturally 
speaking,  there  is  little  or  nothing  in  Lima  different  from  that  of 
other  Spanish  South  American  cities  and  towns.  They  are  almost 
all  invariably  constructed  in  the  same  way — of  the  flimsiest 
materials,  except  some  of  the  churches  and  large  public  buildings. 

It  is  said  that  a  good  rainstorm  would  sweep  the  most  of  Lima 
away,  but  fortunately  there  is  never  a  downpour  in  this  arid  capital. 
Few  of  the  houses  are  over  two  stories,  and  this  is  as  it  should  be,  for 
the  recurrent  earthquakes  render  taller  buildings  inadmissible.  The 
skyscraper  is  impossible.  At  any  rate  there  is  no  call  for  it,  as 
space  is  not  at  a  premium  nor  does  the  rush  for  the  "almighty 
dollar"  in  anyway  approach  the  intensity  of  keeness  with  which  it  is 
sought  in  the  United  States.  In  fact  most  of  the  towns  of  Latin 
America  lying  in  their  sleeping  laziness  are  the  antitheses  of  the 
hustling,  bustling  centers  of  mercantile  action  which  characterize 
the  land  of  Uncle  Sam. 

Though  Peru,  as  we  have  said,  is  trying  to  rouse  herself  into 
commercial  activity  by  bringing  foreign  capital  to  her  shores,  never- 
theless her  towns,  as  yet,  are  "sanctuaries  of  silence"  when  com- 
pared to  the  noisy  arenas  of  Yankee  enterprise  and  endeavor.  There 
is  nothing  of  the  rude  struggle  of  life  which  is  felt  so  palpably  in 
Northern  cities  and  happily,  too,  the  blatant  roar,  the  ostentatious 
glare,  the  disgusting  vulgarity  and  display  of  wealth  are  also  absent. 

There  is  something  of  a  rest  and  charm  about  the  old  streets 
of  these  drowsy  towns  which  appeal  to  the  finer  sensibilities  of  the 
soul  and  harmony  of  the  fitness  of  things,  so  that  one  does  not  wish 
them  other  than  what  they  are. 

Though  Lima  has  been  the  scene  of  many  conflicts  and  stirring 
adventures,  there  is  still  an  air  of  quietude  and  repose  about  it 
which  soothes  the  nerves  and  calms  the  heart.  No  doubt  some  of 
the  streets  at  times  are  rather  crowded  and  the  tenements  congested, 
but  there  is  never  that  feeling  of  oppression  which  one  experiences 
in  the  hives  of  population  in  Northern  lands. 

There  is  a  freedom  of  intercourse  which  is  at  the  same  time 
admirable  and  delightful.  Though  society  is  divided  into  classes 
there  is  none  of  that  ignorant  hauteur  or  purse-proud  ascendancy 


Il6  UNDfiR  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

which  makes  the  rich  despise  those  in  less  fortunate  circumstances 
than  themselves.  There  are  no  upstart  parvenus  to  trample  on  the 
weak  or  take  advantage  of  their  fellows  by  any  underhand  methods. 
Those  who  have  acquired  wealth  legitimately  do  not  make  affluence 
a  barrier  to  hedge  them  in  from  the  poorest  of  their  kind.  "Upper- 
Tendom"  in  Lima  may  put  on  airs  and  ape  style  and  manners  of 
the  great  capitals,  but  it  never  despises  "Lower-Fivedom."  In  fact 
there  is  a  democratic  familiarity  among  the  classes  which  evinces 
good  sense  as  well  as  the  good  morality  of  living  in  conformity  to 
the  Golden  Rule. 

Probably  according  to  its  size  Lima  is  the  most  cosmopolitan  city 
in  the  world.  Chinese,  Negroes,  Indians,  Mestizos,  Cholos  and 
Quichuas  dovetailed  in  among  Americans,  Spaniards,  EngHshmen, 
Irishmen,  French,  Germans,  Italians,  and  even  Turks  present  a 
human  mosaic  equally  interesting  to  the  social  student  and  the 
ethnologist.  The  population  is  estimated  at  about  160,000,  though 
some  maintain  that  there  are  more  than  200,000  within  the  city  and 
near-by  suburbs.  A  general  classification  divides  them  as  follows : 
Of  Spanish  descent,  thirty-three  per  cent. ;  half-breeds,  twenty-seven 
per  cent. ;  Indians,  seventeen  per  cent. ;  foreigners,  twelve  per  cent. ; 
Negroes,  six  per  cent,  and  Chinese,  five  per  cent.  A  few  representa- 
tives of  the  wandering  race  of  Israel  may  also  be  found  in  Lima. 
In  the  market-place  one  hears  a  perfect  Babel  of  tongues,  and  he 
who  would  understand  half  must  needs  be  a  thorough  polyglot  or 
modern  Mezzofanti.  English,  Cjerman  and  Italian  merchants  have 
their  stores  side  by  side,  and  these  vary  in  construction  according 
to  the  nationality  of  the  owners.  All  three  differ  in  style  from  the 
native  stores  and  shops.  These  latter  have  no  windows  and  the 
doors  run  the  full  width  so  that  the  whole  front  is  pushed  back  or 
taken  away  during  business  hours.  Many  of  these  shops  are  like 
caves,  the  only  light  coming  from  the  front,  and  the  cave-likeness 
is  increased  by  the  long  distance  they  extend  in  the  rear.  A  view 
of  such  shops  also  reminds  one  of  so  many  cells  separated  by  thin 
partitions.    The  Mercadores  is  lined  with  these  dark  little  stores. 

Some  of  the  business  streets  are  not  more  than  twenty  feet  in 
width,  and  the  side-walks  take  up  four  feet  of  this  space. 
Pedestrians  often  have  to  give  the  right  of  way  to  mules  saddled 
with  panniers  and  take  to  the  middle  of  the  roadway. 

The  business  hours  of  the  stores  are  generally  from  7  a.  m.  until 
11  a.  m.  and  from  2  p.  m.  until  6  p.  m.  Nearly  all  are  closed  during 
the  mid-day  hours.     Most  of  the  trading   is   done   in  the  gayest 


MILK    PEDDLER,    LIMA 


BULL  RING,   LIMA 


in 


"CITY  OF  THE  KINGS"  119 

part  of  the  day,  that  is,  from  3  to  5  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  at 
which  time  the  traffic  is  greatest  and  the  crowds  almost  as  dense 
as  those  at  the  bargain  counters  of  a  New  York  department  store 
on  bargain  Fridays.  But  they  differ  very  widely  from  a  New  York 
crowd,  inasmuch  as  there  is  no  rush,  no  hurry,  no  bustle,  no  excite- 
ment at  all,  no  frantic-looking  women  shoving,  pushing  and  tearing 
one  another  to  get  to  counters.  There  is  order  and  decorum  and 
every  one  is  as  quiet  as  if  all  were  attending  a  prayer-meeting, 
speaking  only  when  it  is  necessary  to  do  so.  Friends  and  acquaint- 
ances meet,  bow,  shake  hands  and  pass  on.  All  are  very  well  dressed 
and  look  as  if  they  were  prosperous,  though  many  may  be  lacking 
in  wordly  possessions. 

The  Limenos  believe  in  outside  show,  and  on  all  occasions 
endeavor  to  put  on  a  fair  exterior.  Of  course  the  well-to-do, — and 
there  are  many  such, — have  no  need  of  simulation,  but  those  who 
have  not  wealth  try  by  every  means  in  their  power  to  counterfeit  it 
and  make  the  world  believe  they  are  rolling  in  opulence,  though 
there  is  never  any  show  of  that  vulgar  display  so  indicative  of 
purse-proud  Northerners.  The  men  wear  tall  hats,  cutaway  coats, 
patent  leather  shoes,  kid  gloves,  and  both  the  old  and  young  invari- 
ably carry  canes.  The  women  and  girls  generally  dress  in  black. 
They  do  not,  as  a  rule,  wear  bonnets,  but  wrap  fine  shawls  of  black 
goods  about  their  heads,  pinning  them  fast  to  the  shoulders,  so 
that  only  their  faces  can  be  seen.  These  shawls  are  called  manias 
or  mantillas,  and  are  very  graceful  in  their  adjustment.  It  may  be 
said  that  the  women  of  Lima  are  the  most  beautiful  south  of  the 
Equator.  Indeed  they  can  favorably  compare  with  those  of  any  land 
beneath  the  sun.  They  are  straight  and  well  rounded,  with  soft,  oval, 
olive  faces,  luxuriant  masses  of  black  hair  combed  up  in  pompa- 
dour fashion  from  high  foreheads,  and  their  eyes  are  dark,  large  and 
luminous,  glowing  with  the  passion  of  Southern  blood.  Paradoxical 
as  it  may  seem,  these  females  are  intensely  devoted  both  to  worldly 
amusements  and  to  religion.  One  hour  you  will  find  them  at  the 
dance,  the  music-hall,  or  the  theater,  the  next  you  will  find  them  in 
the  cloistered  light  of  some  church,  prostrate  on  their  knees  before 
a  statue  of  the  Virgin,  beating  their  breasts  and  each  crying  peccavi 
for  past  transgressions.  On  the  streets  they  generally  carry  prayer- 
books  and  rosaries. 

All  the  Limenos  seem  to  be  intensely  religious,  but  it  has  been 
proved  that  many  have  assumed  the  cloak  of  religion  solely  for  the 
purpose  of  furthering  their  own  schemes  and  designs  and  to  hide 


120  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

their  hypocrisy  and  double-deaUng.   They  have  trafficked  in  reUgion, 
in  other  words  have 

"...     stolen    heaven's    livery 
Wherewith    to    serve    the    devil." 

This  is  nothing  new,  however.  Lima  is  not  the  only  city  nor  Peru 
the  only  country  in  which  religion  has  been  made  subservient  to 
base  motives  and  dark  schemes. 

Peru  is  the  greatest  stronghold  of  Roman  Catholicism  on  the 
Western  Continent.  The  cult  of  other  religions  is  permitted  but 
not  sanctioned  by  the  State.  Protestant  and  other  denominations 
are  allowed  to  worship  merely  by  courtesy.  Whether  the  Roman 
Church  has  done  Peru  good  or  harm  it  is  not  for  me  to  say.  Neither 
can  I  say  if  it  has  benefited  the  Indian  by  bringing  him  into  the 
white  light  of  its  civilization.  He  might  have  worked  out  his  destiny 
and  salvation  and  arrived  at  as  high  a  plane  of  civilization  by  way  of 
his  Inca  religion.  The  Cross  of  Christ  and  the  sword  of  persecution 
have  been  too  often  held  aloft  by  the  same  hand. 

At  any  rate  the  religion  of  Rome  has  been  as  good  for  the 
Indian  as  that  of  any  other  Christian  church  would  have  been — 
probably  better.  One  thing  is  certain,  it  is  useless  for  any  other 
Church  to  step  in  at  this  date.  The  evangelizers  and  missioary 
societies  are  but  wasting  time  and  money,  and  as  intimated  above, 
it  is  only  through  courtesy  they  are  permitted  at  all.  Evangelical 
experiments  in  all  Latin  countries  have  had  the  same  result.  The 
power  of  Rome  may  be  weakened,  members  may  be  alienated  from 
her  fold,  but  that  does  not  mean  that  their  defection  is  an  accession 
to  the  ranks  of  evangelical  Protestantism.  Not  at  all!  It  simply 
means  a  gain  to  the  ranks  of  materialism  and  finally  atheism,  for 
such  is  the  goal  to  which  the  seceders  eventually  drift. 

Lima  was  formerly  called  the  ''Rome  of  South  America,"  and 
to  a  certain  extent  it  still  deserves  the  title.  Church  feasts  and 
saints'  days  are  looked  upon  as  of  the  first  importance;  and  on 
these  occasions  the  people  turn  out  in  thousands,  and  .public  worship 
is  transferred  from  the  churches  to  the  streets.  Two  of  the  most 
important  festivals  are  Easter  and  Corpus  Christi.  In  celebrating 
the  latter  the  priest  carries  the  host  through  the  streets,  walking 
under  a  canopy  of  cloth  of  gold  upheld  by  four  acolytes  and 
preceded  by  trains  of  boys  and  girls  strewing  flowers  along  the 
way.  Altars  are  erected  at  different  places  along  the  route;  these 
are  called  altars  of  repose.    On  them  for  a  time  in  passing  the  host 


"City  of  the  kings''  121 

Is  placed  in  a  golden  monstrance  and  the  multitudes  kneel  down 
and  worship.  At  such  ceremonies  the  President,  his  cabinet,  and 
his  staff  attend,  as  well  as  the  army.  There  are  military  salutes 
from  the  guns  and  great  pomp  is  observed  throughont.  Drums  beat, 
bands  play,  incense  fills  the  air,  and  everything  is  done  to  give 
spectacular  effect. 

The  traveler  of  another  faith,  on  looking  upon  such  a  scene  of 
tinseled  grandeur  and  loud-sounding  display,  is  constrained  to  ask 
himself, — What  has  all  this  got  to  do  with  the  religion  of  Christ,  in 
whose  honor  these  ceremonies  ostensibly  take  place? — Christ,  the 
lowly  Man  of  Galilee,  the  humble  Carpenter  of  Nazareth,  who  led 
a  life  of  poverty  and  sufferings,  who  often  went  hungry,  over  the 
bleak  hills  of  Judea  with  scarcely  a  place  to  lay  His  head  or  rest 
His  weary  bones? 

Oh,  yes,  "a.  Carpenter  gave  us  our  creed!"  Do  we  honor  Him 
by  arraying  ourselves  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  by  gold-embroidered 
vestments  and  incense,  by  the  fanfare  and  blare  of  trumpets?  Oh, 
no !  Christ  is  honored  not  in  externals,  but  in  internals,  in  the 
heart  and  not  in  the  outward  display. 

"What  care  I  for  caste  or  creed? 
It  is  the  deed,  it  is  the  deed ; 
What  for  class  or  what  for  clan? 
It  is  the  man,  it  is  the  man ; 
Heirs   of    love   and   joy   and   woe, 
Who  is  high  and  who  is  low? 
Mountain,  valley,  sky  and  sea. 
Are   for  all  humanity. 

What  care  I   for  robe  or  stole? 
It  is  the  soul,  it  is  the  soul ; 
What  for  crown,  or  what  for  crest? 
It   is  the  heart   within  the  breast; 
It  is  the  faith,  it  is  the  hope ; 
It  is  the  struggle  up  the  slope, 
It  is  the  brain  and  eye  to  see 
One  God,   and  one  humanity." 

The  ritual  and  ceremonies  of  the  Catholic  Church  throughout 
all  Peru  are  carried  out  on  an  elaborate  scale  with  a  view  to  impres- 
siveness,  but  much  of  the  impressiveness  vanishes  with  a  considera- 
tion of  the  methods  employed.  The  system  is  an  appeal  to  the  soul 
through  the  eye  and  not  through  the  heart.  There  is  little  of 
solidity  about  it — glamor  for  reality,  glare  for  substance.  In  this 
respect  it  resembles  the  church  buildings,  many  of  which  are  showy 
without  and  shabby  within.    It  is  a  fact  that  most  of  the  church 


122  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

edifices  are  built  of  mud,  frescoed  and  plastered  on  the  outside 
with  stucco  to  give  the  semblance  of  solidity.  It  is  only  the  big 
gaudy  show-places  of  religion  like  the  Cathedral,  which  show 
solidity  of  architecture  and  which  have  cost  much  to  erect  them. 

Often,  the  interior  furnishings  are  gaudy  almost  to  disgust,  look- 
ing in  their  flash  of  colorings  more  like  oriental  harems  than 
sanctuaries  of  religion.  There  are  flashy  altars  banked  with  stacks 
of  candelabra  and  ornamented  or  rather  disfigured  by  tinseled  trap- 
pings. Pictures  little  better  than  caricatures  hang  around  the  walls, 
and  in  innumerable  niches  here  and  there  are  simpering,  painted, 
delft  dolls,  by  courtesy  called  statues,  representing  the  saints  and 
other  scriptural  personages.  These  do  not  appeal  to  the  religious 
instinct,  but,  on  the  contrary,  repel  those  of  finer  feelings  and 
esthetic  tastes.  Yet  they  seem  to  have  a  powerful  influence  on  the 
so-called  lower  classes,  and  especially  on  the  Indian,  whose  nature 
always  inclines  to  the  bizarre. 

Some  of  the  old-time  churches,  however,  are  exceptions,  being 
really  beautiful  in  their  calm  dignity,  with  a  hallowed  air  about  them 
which  gives  a  charm  to  true  religion.  They  are  especially  appealing 
to  the  higher  attributes  of  the  soul  when  the  calm  of  evening  falls 
and  the  slanting  rays  of  sunlight  come  softly  through  the  stained- 
glass  windows,  mellowing  altars  and  draperies  and  girdling,  as  it 
were,  the  brows  of  virgins,  saints  and  martyrs  with  aureoles  of 
living  light,  making  them  almost  appear  endowed  with  life,  stand- 
ing in  the  silent  sanctuary  like  ambassadors  treating  with  the  Court 
of  Heaven  in  behalf  of  earthly  mortals,  appealing,  as  it  were,  to 
the  Father  for  His  wayward,  erring  children. 

The  Cathedral  even,  from  an  outside  view,  impresses  the  traveler 
with  a  sense  of  the  beautiful,  in  massive  proportions  as  well  as 
with  the  dignity  of  religion.  Viewed  from  across  the  plaza  when 
the  shadows  are  slowly  gathering  and  the  great  facade  stands  out 
as  a  background  to  the  dark  green  foliage  of  palms  and  shrubs  and 
tropical  plants,  and  when  the  arcades  are  illuminated,  the  fountain 
playing  and  the  liquid  notes  of  soft  music  float  out  on  the  still  air, 
the  scene  and  surroundings  form  a  vista  never  to  be  forgotten, — one 
indeed  in  itself  well  worth  a  trip  to  Lima. 

I  have  already  mentioned  some  of  the  other  prominent  land- 
marks of  the  capital, — the  Palace  of  the  Presidents,  Hall  of  the 
Inquisition,  the  University  of  San  Marco.  We  visited  the  last- 
mentioned  seat  of  Peruvian  learning  and  was  conducted  through 
the  class-rooms  by  one  of  the  suave  and  polite  students.    When 


"CITY  OF  THE  KINGS"  123 

I  offered  to  remunerate  the  young  man  for  his  kindness  and 
courtesy  he  declined  any  monetary  consideration,  respectfully 
soliciting  "tarjeta  de  visita,  Senor!"  instead.  I  gladly  handed  him 
my  card,  as  I  presumed  he  wished  to  have  it  as  a  souvenir  of  my 
visit  to  the  institution. 

In  the  medical  school  attached  to  the  University  we  saw  some 
youthful  Peruvian  -Esculapians  carving  up  the  bodies  of  some 
unfortunate  Cholos  for  the  good  of  Science.  Later  on,  in  the  great 
"Dos  de  Mayo"  hospital  we  saw  several  of  these  half-starved  brown 
men  from  the  mountains  lying  in  the  wards,  and  had  no  doubt 
that  eventually  their  bodies  would  reach  the  dissecting  table.  This 
hospital  is  a  very  noteworthy  edifice.  It  was  erected  at  a  cost  of 
over  a  million  dollars  and  has  seven  hundred  beds. 

The  National  Library  of  Lima,  after  that  of  Rio,  was  the  finest 
on  the  continent,  being  particularly  rich  in  historical  works  and 
manuscripts  relating  to  Peru.  It  was  sacked  by  the  Chileans  in  1881, 
and  though  it  was  reopened  in  1884,  only  a  small  part  of  the 
priceless  treasures  were  recovered.  The  Exposition  Building,  a  kind 
of  national  museum  erected  in  1872,  is  a  handsome  structure  sur- 
rounded by  beautiful  pleasure  grounds  which  are  now  used  as  a 
private  promenade.  The  Bank  of  Peru  and  London  is  a  prominent 
building  of  a  modern  type  of  architecture. 

The  ordinary  houses  in  Lima,  especially  in  the  older  parts  of 
the  city,  are  far  from  imposing.  Of  course,  they  were  patterned 
after  the  style  then  prevailing  and  still  prevailing  in  rural  Spain. 
Some  have  only  one  story,  but  two  stories  are  the  general  limit. 
The  lower  of  these  stories  is  either  of  mud  or  adobe,  that  is,  sun- 
dried  brick ;  the  upper,  of  cane  and  plaster.  They  have  no  chimneys, 
and  on  the  ground  floor  overlooking  the  street  only  a  few  windows, 
all  of  which  are  barred.  The  poorer  sections  are  largely  made  up  of 
callejones  or  alleys.  There  are  hundreds  of  these  little  blind  alleys, 
which  are  reached  through  doors  in  the  walls  along  the  main 
streets.  As  there  are  no  chimneys,  most  of  the  cooking  is  done 
over  charcoal  fires.  There  are  little  courts  in  the  center  of  the 
buildings,  and  most  of  these  are  planted  with  flowers. 

In  the  two-story  houses  of  the  better  class,  galleries  run  around 
the  courts  and  the  rooms  opening  on  these  are  very  well  ventilated. 
Some  of  the  wealthy  have  houses  which  are  more  or  less  pretentious 
and  occupy  a  good  deal  of  space,  but  nearly  all  have  barred  windows 
and  are  entered  through  barred  gates,  which  give  them  the  appear- 
ance of  a  prison. 


124  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

There  is  a  kind  of  renaissance,  however,  taking  place  at  present 
in  the  architecture  of  Lima.  Houses  are  now  being  erected  of  three 
and  four  stories,  and  both  bricks  and  cement  blocks  are  being  used 
in  the  construction,  and  windows  are  being  inserted  in  all  stories. 
It  is  much  to  be  wondered  at  that  this  innovation  did  not  take  place 
long  since ;  and  more  so  that  a  city  which  aspires  to  modem  progress 
should  be  content  with  such  miserable  makeshifts  of  mud  and 
stucco,  relics  of  an  almost  barbarous  past.  This  is  especially  notice- 
able in  a  land  which  boasts  of  the  marvelous  remains  of  the  Inca 
palaces,  which  were  constructed  of  cyclopean  stones  so  large  as 
to  be  almost  beyond  credibility,  and  slabs  of  rock  so  huge  that  they 
dwarf  those  of  the  Egyptian  pyramids;  and  these  slabs  were  formed 
and  mortised  in  such  a  way,  as  shown  in  the  ruins,  that  it  is 
impossible  to  insert  a  knife-blade  between  them. 

Besides,  Lima  has  at  her  own  doors  all  the  materials  for  solid 
masonry.  Near  the  city  are  splendid  granite  quarries  and  natural 
accessories  for  the  construction  of  solid  dwellings  which  might 
easily  defy  all  seismic  disturbances.  There  is  no  necessity  for  height, 
which  is  undesirable  on  account  of  the  earthquakes,  but  there  is 
certainly  necessity  for  solidity  and  light  as  appurtenances  to  comfort 
and  health.  Were  Lima  subject  to  the  violent  tropical  rainstorms 
which  characterize  other  sections,  the  city  would  dissolve  like  a 
snow-bank  in  the  sun-heat,  but  unlike  snow  it  would  leave  a  dirty 
debris.  To  borrow  a  simile  from  Mr.  Squier,  it  would  be  like  **a 
withered  cane-brake  in  a  gigantic  wind  puddle." 

In  going  about  the  streets  of  Lima  the  visitor  sees  some  strange 
sights  and  meets  some  curious  adventures — that  is  to  say,  strange 
and  curious  to  the  foreigner.  The  Limenos  have  some  customs 
peculiar  to  themselves.  One  meets  venders,  hucksters,  and  peddlers 
at  every  turn,  but  these  are  widely  different  from  those  encountered 
elsewhere.  Most  of  the  peddling  is  done  from  horseback,  muleback, 
and  donkeyback.  The  horses  are  small  but  spirited  animals,  and 
have  an  easy,  gentle  gait  which  carries  the  riders  along  over  the 
cobbles  with  as  great  ease  as  if  they  were  on  rubber-tired  wheels. 
The  Indian  women  ride  astride,  and  are  excellent  equestriennes. 
The  milk  of  the  city  is  carried  about  in  tin  cans  tied  to  the  sides  of 
the  animals.  The  venders,  male  and  female,  sit  between  the  cans. 
The  Indian  women  dress  in  very  bright  colored,  light  material, 
such  as  calico  or  gingham,  and  wear  huge-brimmed  Panama  hats. 
When  they  reach  the  house  of  a  customer  they  slide  down  from 
their  places,  take  up  one  of  the  cans,  go  into  the  bouse  and  ladle 


BOLIXAk    .>IATUE,    LIMA.    AUTHOR    AM)    i^RiKM)S 


125 


"CITY  OF  THE  KINGS"  127 

out  the  quantity  of  lacteal  fluid  required.  Indian  women  and  boys 
also  peddle  loaves  of  bread  around  the  streets,  carried  in  large 
panniers  suspended  from  the  sides  of  horses,  mules  and  donkeys. 
Vegetables  are  also  peddled  in  the  same  way.  In  fact,  all  sorts 
of  produce  are  carried  round  in  a  similar  manner  on  the  backs  of 
animals.  When  the  load  is  large  the  vender  sits  behind,  facing 
the  tail  of  the  beast,  and  props  his  back  against  his  wares,  so  as 
to  prevent  their  sliding. 

Another  characteristic  feature  of  the  lower  class  Limenos,  and 
one  which  does  not  appeal  to  the  finer  sensibilities  of  the  visitor, 
is  the  seeming  inveterate  habit  of  gambling  by  means  of  lottery 
tickets.  In  this  respect  they  are  about  as  bad  as  the  policy  runners 
of  New  York's  congested  East  Side.  They  meet  you  at  every  corner 
and  turn — on  the  streets,  in  the  cafes,  hotel  corridors,  shops  and 
stores — men,  women,  boys,  girls  and  even  little  children,  importuning 
you  to  buy  tickets  and  win  a  fortune.  They  boldly  thrust  the  filthy 
pasteboards  into  your  hands  with  such  expressions  as :  "Don't  miss 
your  opportunity  !"  "A  fortune  awaits  you  !"  "Buy  !  Buy  !  Buy !" 
Of  course,  they  are  the  flotsam  and  jetsam  of  the  city,  the  derelicts 
which  we  find  almost  everywhere  floating  on  the  dirty  waters  of 
the  human  tide.  What  commission  these  unfortunates  get  for  sell- 
ing the  tickets  we  know  not,  but  doubtless  there  is  "some  one 
higher  up,"  or  a  syndicate  of  swindlers  behind  the  system  who 
reap  a  goodly  harvest  from  the  ill-gotten  gains. 

As  I  have  said,  there  are  no  chimneys  on  the  houses.  The  flat 
roofs  are  a  favorite  place  for  the  raising  of  chickens.  Thousands  are 
hatched,  lay  eggs,  grow  fat  and  are  killed  without  ever  seeing  the 
ground  below.  One  is  liable  to  be  disturbed  any  hour  of  the  night 
by  the  crowing  of  roosters.  In  fact,  visitors  have  often  had  to 
complain  of  the  sleep-destroying  racket  made  by  the  birds.  But 
the  Eimenos  don't  mind  it,  they  are  used  to  it  and  doubtless  would 
feel  lonely  did  they  not  hear  the  clarion  notes  of  chanticleer. 

Altogether,  Lima  is  a  wonderful  city;  one  soon  gets  used  to  its 
peculiarities,  however,  and  the  more  familiar  he  becomes  the  better 
he  likes  it. 

Strangers  are  always  welcome,  and  the  social  life  among  the 
better  classes  is  pleasant,  for  they  are  really  refined  and  educated, 
put  on  no  airs,  do  not  simulate  or  conceal  their  real  feelings,  but 
meet  the  visitor  in  an  open-hearted  way  and  do  their  best  to 
entertain  him  while  he  remains  within  their  gates. 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  HIGHEST  RAILROAD  IN  THE  WORLD 


FROM    SEA-LEVEL    TO    THE   ROOF    OF    PERU 


Almost  everybody  who  visits  Lima  and  its  neighborhood  wishes 
to  make  a  trip  up  the  wonderful  Oroya  Railroad,  which,  com- 
mencing at  the  sea-level  of  Callao,  winds  up  the  face  of  the  moun- 
tains to  a  culminating  altitude  of  15,665  feet  before  reaching 
Oroya. 

"^Ve  devoted  a  day  to  an  excursion  over  this  famous  route,  which 
has  conquered  the  grim  fastnesses  of  the  Andes,  harnessed  their 
rugged  sides  with  bands  of  steel,  and  enabled  the  traveler  to  scale 
their  frowning  precipices  with  comparative  ease  in  comfortably  cush- 
ioned cars  drawn  by  the  power  of  a  steam  locomotive. 

The  construction  of  the  Oroya  Railroad  has  been  the  most  daring 
feat  of  engineering  skill  yet  accomplished  by  man.  The  honor  of 
undertaking  it,  if  not  carrying  it  to  a  successful  completion,  belongs 
to  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

The  man  who  proposed  the  scheme  and  commenced  operations 
was  Mr.  Henry  Meiggs,  a  native  of  the  Empire  State  of  New  York, 
an  individual  who  was  deeply  imbued  with  the  Yankee  spirit  of 
hustle  and  determination  which  no  difficulties  can  deter  and  no 
obstacles  conquer.  Meiggs  was  not  an  engineer,  but  a  business  man 
who  kept  his  weather  eye  open  to  all  opportunities.  He  began  his 
career  in  his  native  State,  v  here  he  made  considerable  money,  but 
being  of  an  adventurous  and  enterprising  disposition  he  sought  fur- 
ther fields  of  endeavor.  In  the  gold  days  of  California  he  brought  a 
shipload  of  lumber  around  the  Horn  to  San  Francisco  to  help  in  the 
construction  of  the  Queen  City,  then  rearing  her  virgin  head  in  the 
Western  sunshine  by  the  shimmering  waters  of  the  Pacific.    On  this 

128 


ON  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  WORLD  129 

he  realized  an  enormous  profit,  on  which  he  started  out  as  one  of 
the  great  business  pioneers  of  the  West.  He  speculated  largely, 
bought  timber  lands,  erected  saw-mills,  purchased  carrying  brigs 
and  schooners,  and  became  a  powerful  factor  in  the  industry  and 
development  of  the  new  country.  He  overreached  his  ability,  how- 
ever, and  finally  found  himself  in  enormous  debts,  impossible  for 
him  then  to  liquidate.  Under  such  financial  pressure,  he  fled  to 
South  America,  leaving  behind  him  in  unpaid  bills  and  other  de- 
mands more  than  a  million  dollars  of  indebtedness.  This  was  in 
1854.  Meiggs  was  baffled  for  the  time  being,  but  by  no  means 
beaten.  Such  a  spirit  as  his  refused  to  be  downed.  He  soon  en- 
tered into  relations  with  the  Chilean  Government  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  first  railway  in  that  country  between  Valparaiso  and 
Santiago.  He  successfully  carried  through  this  enterprise,  clearing 
a  sum  much  more  than  the  indebtedness  he  had  left  behind  in  Cali- 
fornia. It  may  here  be  said  that  Meiggs  finally  discharged  all  his 
obligations  to  the  last  cent,  not  even  forgetting  his  former  washer- 
woman, but  he  never  could  be  induced  to  return  to  the  Golden 
State,  though,  when  at  the  height  of  his  career,  he  got  many  invi- 
tations from  both  the  people  and  the  Legislature. 

The  second  adventure  of  Meiggs  in  South  America  was  the 
building  of  Peru's  original  railway  line  from  MoUendo  to  Arequipa. 
This  project  netted  him  a  profit  of  almost  two  million  dollars.  His 
fame  became  firmly  established.  He  proved  that  he  could  "deliver 
the  goods"  and  do  what  he  said.  He  was  no  dreamer,  no  theorist, 
but  a  practical,  hard-headed  Yankee  who  had  discarded  the  word 
impossible  from  the  lexicon  of  his  endeavors  and  undertakings. 
Though  not  an  engineer  himself,  the  best  engineers  in  the  world 
believed  in  him  and  were  willing  to  go  according  to  his  plans  and 
directions. 

It  was  in  1869  that  Meiggs  projected  the  Oroya  line.  The  news 
that  he  had  entered  into  a  contract  with  the  Peruvian  Government 
to  construct  a  railroad  from  Callao,  the  port  of  Lima,  right  over" 
the  summit  of  the  Andes  with  a  view  to  reach  the  silver  and  copper 
mines  of  Cerro  de  Pasco  and  eventually  open  up  to  commerce  the 
country  around  the  head  waters  of  the  Amazon,  startled  the  financial 
world,  for  the  task  was  deemed  impossible,  the  undertaking  im- 
practicable. What !  throw  a  railroad  across  those  soaring  summits 
among  the  clouds !  Drive  a  locomotive  up  those  frowning  sides  of 
rock  and  granite !  Pshaw !  the  very  idea  was  absurd,  chimerical. 
Quixotic !    The   wiseacres   shook   their  heads   and   intimated   that 


130  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Meiggs  had  overreached  himself  at  last.  Even  experienced  engi- 
neers frowned  on  the  project. 

What  of  Meiggs?  He  quietly  listened  to  the  talk  and  in  his 
own  grim  way  smiled  at  the  adverse  criticism.  He  well  knew  the 
undertaking  was  colossal,  so  formidable  indeed  that  probably  not 
another  man  living  would  have  undertaken  it.  But  Meiggs  was 
cast  in  a  mold  different  from  most  men.  Such  as  he  are  turned 
out  at  rare  intervals,  and  it  seems  the  Almighty  breaks  the  pattern 
each  time  He  fashions  one  of  them.  Meiggs  simply  said :  "It  can 
be  done  and  I'll  do  it." 

He  floated  $29,000,000  in  bonds  and  went  to  work.  The  terms 
of  his  contract  called  for  his  delivering  the  road  ready  for  operation, 
for  which  he  was  to  receive  $125,000,000  payable  in  instalments 
as  the  work  proceeded.  At  first  the  instalments  were  paid  regularly 
enough,  but  after  a  time  the  government  was  compelled  to  borrow 
money  from  Europe  and  continued  borrowing  until  Peruvian  credit 
could  go  no  further.  Europe  refused  Peruvian  bonds.  Meiggs 
then  accepted  obligations  from  the  Peruvian  Government,  and  con- 
tinued to  do  so  until  in  fact  he  owned  the  entire  repubhc.  Peru 
could  do  no  more.  Soon,  too,  the  hands  of  Meiggs  became  tied  for 
want  of  ready  cash.  Under  such  circumstances  the  work  had  to  be 
abandoned  for  the  time  being.  So  far  it  had  cost  Meiggs  more 
than  $300,000  for  every  mile  of  its  length.  But  a  greater  cost 
than  the  financial  one  was  the  heavy  toll  it  exacted  in  human  lives. 
Several  thousand  men  perished  in  the  first  construction  of  eighty-six 
miles.  There  are  belts  or  zones  in  the  region  of  this  railroad  where 
a  foul  miasma  lurks  and  clings  to  every  bush  and  shrub  and  rock, 
exhaling  poisonous  vapors  deadly  to  all  kinds  of  animal  life,  with  the 
possible  exception  of  ophidians.  One  of  the  worst  of  these  is 
around  Verrugas.  Here  a  steel  bridge  was  built  over  the  foaming 
torrent  of  the  Verrugas.  This  bridge  was  575  feet  long  and  270 
feet  high  above  the  water.  It  was  swept  away  March  24,  1879, 
but  was  again  rebuilt  in  1890.  It  seems  to  be  an  unfortunate  spot 
in  every  way.  On  February  8,  1909,  the  bridge  once  more  col- 
lapsed, bringing  down  to  instant  death  many  American  bridge- 
builders  with  a  large  number  of  natives.  This  latest  accident  was 
due  to  a  runaway  engine  which  crashed  into  a  repair  train  located 
on  the  bridge. 

In  face  of  this  misfortune  both  freight  and  passengers  have  to  be 
carried  across  by  means  of  a  cable,  that  is,  a  little  car  runs  on  a 
rope  stretched  across  from  rock  to  rock  above  the  yawning  depth 


' 

■ 

^^^^^^^---^)%,''  "K                        3 

H 

^1 

^m^>\,    1 

'^^hIh^^H 

^^^^^H 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Hfa^,r> 

' 

^^^1 

^^^^^^^HH^^^^Ih^^ 

^^^1 

^^^^^^^^^^^^H^HN^^^^S^Sfel 

fel^.,        ■   J 

D 

^^^1 

ipi'^':--  i^^^^^^?m 

HHII^^ 

■ 

'^mI 

< 

o 

o 
< 

M|^^^^^^H 

^^^^^K;                                                                    •;  "«&. 

oAi^n^Sflril^^^^^l^^^l 

u 

'^S^^^l 

^^K                        ""•-<'^l^     <^ 

IH^^^^^^^^^^ 

< 

^K          .|  ^^j^"- 

l^^r  '^ 

K 
u 
1— 1 

< 
u 

< 
CI 

1 

^^ 

H 

131 


ON  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  WORLD  133 

where  the  Verrugas  foams  and  churns  hundreds  of  feet  below. 
However,  the  daring  and  skill  of  the  engineers  will  soon  span  the 
abyss  again.  It  may  be  imagined  that  to  go  across  the  bridgeless 
chasm  in  such  a  manner  is  trying  on  the  nerves,  but  one  must  forget 
he  has  any  nerves  at  all  when  he  essays  the  ascent  of  the  Oroya, 
and  be  prepared  for  any  and  all  kinds  of  experiences. 

The  disease  or  pestilence  known  as  Verruga  which  scourges  this 
region  is  one  of  the  worst  afflictions  of  humanity  and  one  which, 
so  far,  has  baffled  every  effort  of  modern  science.  The  name  is  de- 
rived from  the  Latin  verruca,  a  wart ;  in  Spanish,  verruga. 

Verruga  is  a  skin  disease  characterized  by  an  eruption  of  thou- 
sands of  tiny,  bloody  warts.  The  blood  slowly  oozes  from  each  little 
papule  and  as  there  are  such  a  great  number  of  these  papillae,  wide 
areas  of  the  skin  are  covered  with  loathsome  bloody  patches.  The 
exudation  of  the  blood  saps  away  the  strength  until  the  victim  suc- 
cumbs from  weakness. 

The  medical  world  recognizes  several  skin  diseases  under  the 
same  generic  heading,  such  as  verruca  vulgaris,  verruca  plana,  ver- 
ruca acuminata,  etc.,  but  all  are  different  and  distinct  from  the 
Andean  affliction.  Northern  medical  men  and  scientists  have  tried 
to  combat  it,  but  there  is  absolutely  nothing  as  yet  discovered  which 
has  the  slightest  effect  upon  it.  It  is  reckoned  worse  than  cholera 
or  the  bubonic  plague  or  even  leprosy.  Scientists  are  of  the  opinion 
that  it  originates  in  some  miasmatic  poison,  vegetable  or  mineral, 
peculiar  to  the  locality.  In  the  construction  of  the  railway  near 
this  place,  namely  from  Chosica  to  Matucana,  a  distance  of  twenty- 
seven  miles,  two  hundred  men  died  of  verruga. 

Near  the  latter  place,  Matucana,  Meiggs  also  had  an  unfortunate 
natural  set-back  in  1874  when  an  avalanche  suddenly  covered  a 
railway  camp  with  mountain  detritus,  burying  three  hundred  of  his 
men.  This  avalanche  dammed  the  river  Rimac  and  a  great  volume 
of  water  accumulated  which  threatened  the  inundation  of  Lima  and 
caused  grave  concern  for  the  inhabitants.  Meiggs,  however,  was 
equal  to  the  occasion.  He  secured  Chinese  labor  at  a  cheap  rate, 
personally  directed  the  men,  and  in  a  short  time  had  the  waters 
running  in  their  natural  channel. 

The  fiscal  failure  of  the  Peruvian  Government  to  carry  on  the 
work  precipitated  the  railroad  into  the  hands  of  private  bondholders. 
In  1877  negotiations  were  resumed  with  Europe  for  the  purpose  of 
effecting  more  loans,  and  undoubtedly  Peru  would  have  been  able 
again  to  interest  the  moneyed  powers,  but  the  unexpected  death  of 


134  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Meiggs  in  that  year  called  off  all  treaties  and  once  more  the  scheme 
had  to  stand  in  abeyance.  Meiggs  died  in  Lima,  where  he  had  built 
for  himself  and  family  a  palatial  mansion,  one  of  the  great  show- 
places  of  the  city.  Soon  after,  the  war  betwen  Peru  and  Chile 
broke  out  and  further  thought  of  railway  construction  was  aban- 
doned during  hostilities. 

When  peace  was  concluded  in  1884  the  Peruvian  Corporation,  an 
organization  of  English  and  American  capitalists  formed  by  the  firtn 
of  W.  R.  Grace  &  Co.,  of  New  York,  undertook  the  resumption 
of  construction.  A  tunnel  was  cut  right  through  the  mountain 
which  bears  the  name  of  Meiggs,  and  which  has  an  altitude  of  about 
17,700  feet,  to  the  other  side  of  the  Andes,  where  the  road  descends 
to  the  valley  of  the  Jauja,  through  the  rich  silver  mining  region  of 
Yauli  and  finally  ends  at  Oroya,  an  Indian  market  town  situated  at 
over  12,000  feet  above  sea-level. 

A  branch  line  of  the  railroad,  sixty-eight  miles  in  length,  now  con- 
nects the  Oroya  with  the  mines  of  Cerro  de  Pasco,  the  point  to 
which  Meiggs  had  originally  intended  to  push  his  project.  These 
mines  are  at  an  elevation  of  more  than  14,000  feet,  and  nowhere 
does  the  branch  line  connecting  them  with  Oroya  dip  less  than 
12,000  feet.  These  mines  are  now  organized  by  American  capital 
and  bid  fair  to  make  their  promoters  rich. 

The  total  length  of  the  Oroya  Railroad  is  138  miles.  As  I  have 
said,  the  culminating  altitude  is  15,665  feet.  This  is  at  the  tunnel 
bored  through  Mount  Meiggs,  the  Tunnel  del  Paso  de  Galera,  as 
it  is  called.  The  summit  of  Mount  Meiggs  is  about  two  thousand 
feet  above  the  bore,  which  makes  it  fall  but  a  little  short  of  the 
snow-line  in  this  latitude — some  twelve  degrees  south  of  the  Equator. 

The  ascent  of  the  Andes  on  the  Oroya,  properly  speaking,  does 
not  begin  until  the  valley  of  the  Rimac  is  crossed  and  the  panting 
locomotive  strikes  the  lower  foothills  of  the  Cordilleras.  Onward, 
there  is  a  steady  climb  until  the  culmination  at  the  Galera  Tunnel, 
beyond  which  the  descent  begins  on  the  other  side  of  the  mountains 
down  the  valley  of  the  Jauja  to  Oroya.  This  descent  is  thirty-two 
miles  and  the  "fall"  thirty-five  hundred  feet. 

In  many  places  the  grade  of  the  road  is  four  per  cent.,  or  over 
210  feet  to  the  mile.  The  track  is  the  standard  gauge  of  four  feet 
eight  and  one-half  inches.  The  rails  weigh  seventy  pounds  to  the 
yard;  the  rail-braces  are  also  very  heavy,  especially  at  the  curves 
and  the  V-shaped  angles.  The  ties  are  of  California  redwood,  three 
thousand  of  them  to  the  mile.    All  the  bridges,  and  there  are  many, 


135 


ON  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  WORLD  137 

are  constructed  of  steel.  The  locomotives  and  cars  are  of  North 
American  manufacture,  but  they  are  by  no  means  typical  of  the 
latest  and  best  productions  of  the  States,  though  the  cars  are  com- 
fortable enough  and  the  locomotives  very  v^ell  adapted  to  the  de- 
mands of  such  a  road.  It  cannot  be  expected  that  the  latter  would 
very  v^ell  compare  with  the  snorting  monsters  of  steam  and  steel 
which  whizz  across  the  North  American  continent  with  lightning 
rapidity,  almost  annihilating  time  and  space.  They  are  more  like 
the  antiquated,  wheezy,  asthmatic  mechanisms  we  formerly  had  on 
the  '*L"  lines  in  New  York  City  before  electricity  was  installed  as 
a  motive  power.  However,  as  intimated,  they  answer  very  well  the 
purpose  in  view.  The  modern  monster  engines  would  not  be  suit- 
able for  climbing  the  mountains  or  going  around  the  curves  and 
"V's"  and  "S's"  which  make  the  ascent  of  the  Oroya  Railroad 
possible.  ^ 

There  are  seven  switchbacks  and  sixty  tunnels  on  the  line.  The 
switchback  was  a  characteristic  device  of  Meiggs  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  road.  When  he  encountered  a  very  stiff  grade  he 
zigzagged  up  the  face  of  the  mountain  and  when  he  came  to  a 
place  where  there  was  absolutely  no  room  to  turn  or  get  around 
on  a  curve  he  backed  out  on  a  V-line  and  made  his  way  upward 
until  he  could  reverse  on  another  "V"  and  go  forward  again. 
There  are  many  of  these  ''V's"  in  the  course  of  the  ascent,  besides 
numerous  curves  up  side  valleys,  and  turnings  and  circumventings 
around  protruding  rocks  and  bosses,  and  many  other  kinds  of  in- 
genious and  daring  designs  and  contrivances  to  scale  the  precipitous 
mountain  sides  with  bands  of  steel  and  iron  and  conquer  the  rugged 
obstacles  of  nature  by  the  sheer  force  of  human  skill  and  daring. 
Of  course  the  time  consumed  in  stopping  and  switching  at  the 
zigzag  and  "V"  turnings  is  very  considerable;  the  position  of  the 
engine  has  to  be  reversed  from  one  end  of  the  train  to  the  other; 
but  for  these  zigzags  and  ''V's"  the  feat  of  accomplishing  the  con- 
struction would  have  been  impossible.  By  means  of  them  a  train 
of  cars  is  enabled  to  scale  the  steep  face  of  the  cliffs  with  almost 
as  much  ease,  if  not  as  quickly,  as  a  squirrel  goes  up  a  tree. 

As  much  as  possible  the  Oroya  Railroad  for  a  certain  length 
follows  the  course  of  the  river  Rimac.  In  many  places,  however, 
it  had  to  deviate  from  the  direction  of  the  rushing  stream  to 
accommodate  itself  to  conditions  and  surmount  obstacles,  as  when 
steep  gradients  or  overhanging  rocks  were  encountered,  rendering 
curves,    twistings,    "V's"    and   "S's"    imperative,    as    I    have   men- 


138  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

tioned  above.  In  some  instances,  by  daring  devices,  displaying  the 
resourcefulness  and  genius  of  the  builder,  the  course  of  the  Rimac 
was  made  subservient  to  the  line  of  the  railway.  At  one  place  it 
was  diverted  and  the  waters  caused  to  rush  through  a  mountain 
tunnel;  the  tracks  were  then  laid  on  the  bouldery  bed  over  which 
the  river  had  formerly  surged.  Near  this  is  a  great  gorge  into 
which  two  tunnels  connected  by  the  Puente  Infiernillo  (Bridge  of 
Hell)  open,  and  through  which  the  Rimac  rushes  and  roars  with 
a  thunderous  violence  the  noise  and  fury  of  which  is  probably  un- 
paralleled elsewhere.  It  reminds  one,  in  intensified  force,  of  some  of 
the  falls  on  the  Upper  Rhine,  particularly  that  of  the  Via  Mala. 

In  one  section  the  road  branches  away  from  the  Rimac  and 
follows  the  course  of  the  Rio  Blanca,  which  it  crosses  four  times 
by  wonderful  feats  of  engineering  skill,  and  then  returns  to  the 
Rijmac  by  crossing  Capa  Puente  at  an  altitude  of  11,638  feet  above 
the  sea.  When  the  road  emerges  from  the  Galera  Tunnel,  under 
Mount  Meiggs  on  the  Eastern  side  of  the  Andean  watershed,  it 
follows  the  Rio  Yauli  to  Oroya. 

When  we  take  the  altitude  of  the  Oroya  into  consideration  we 
find  that  it  almost  dwarfs  by  comparison  the  boasted  accomplish- 
ments of  railroad  engineering  in  the  United  States,  and  be  it  said, 
the  United  States  in  this  kind  of  daring  enterprise  is  by  far  ahead 
of  anything  as  yet  done  in  Europe. 

The  narrow  gauge  over  Marshall's  Pass  in  Colorado  climbs  to 
the  12,000-foot  level,  but  there  is  no  abrupt,  no  steep  gradient  as  in 
the  case  of  the  Oroya.  The  ascent  to  the  Pass  is  long  and  gradual, 
leading  up  from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Great  Divide ;  there  is  no  stiff 
mountain  climbing  whatever,  the  traveler  being  almost  unconscious 
that  he  is  on  other  than  a  level  stretch  all  the  way. 

Not  alone  is  the  Oroya  the  highest  railroad  in  the  world;  it 
is  the  only  one  which  lifts  its  passengers  to  such  breathless  heights 
in  so  short  a  time.  You  start  after  breakfast  at  sea-level,  before 
dinner-time  you  are  above  the  clouds,  and  long  before  the  sun  dips 
behind  the  meridian  you  are  at  an  altitude  higher  than  the  summit 
of  Mont  Blanc. 

We  started  from  Lima  about  7  o'clock  in  the  morning.  As  we 
passed  inland  through  the  Rimac  Valley,  the  mists  that  generally 
hang  over  the  place  in  the  early  hours  began  gradually  to  clear 
away  and  we  saw  terraced  fields,  rich  in  crops  and  vegetation, 
stretching  away  in  all  directions.  These  fields  are  made  fertile  by 
artificial  irrigation.    There  are  plantations  of  sugar-cane,  cotton  and 


ANDEAN  PLATEAU,  EN  ROUTE  TO  CUZCO 


FOOTHILLS   OF   THE  ANDES   FROM   MOLLENDO 


189 


ON  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  WORLD  141 

corn  fenced  in  by  low  walls  of  mud  and  adobe,  and  also  sections 
devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  many  kinds  of  tropical  fruits,  pleasing 
orchards,  locally  known  as  huertas,  and  fields  of  vegetables.  Here 
and  there  we  could  see  the  roofs  of  an  hacienda  showing  above  the 
green  foliage.  Farther  on  the  signs  of  cultivation  and  care  and 
human  endeavor  became  less  and  less  until  they  vanished  altogether, 
and  neglected  fields  of  wild  growths,  abandoned  terraces  and  broken 
watercourses  met  the  view.  The  blackened  sites  of  ruined  villages, 
too,  told  the  tale  eloquent  of  the  white  man's  conquest,  a  tale  of 
pillage  and  rapine,  robbery  and  murder.  What  a  commentary  in- 
deed on  so-called  modern  civilization,  that  it  wiped  out  the  glories 
and  splendors  of  Incan  development  and  progress  and  left  these 
villages  and  farms  and  fields  and  woods  desolate,  wasted,  dumb 
witnesses  to  heaven  of  man's  inhumanity  to  man  and  the  Caucasian 
mania  for  gold !  Here  was  once  a  dense  population  which  lived 
and  toiled  and  throve  and  was  happy  in  its  own  way  before  the 
despoiling  feet  of  the  invader  desecrated  the  soil,  which  now,  alas ! 
cormorants,  pelicans  and  other  wild  creatures  of  mountain  and  plain 
have  all  to  themselves. 

We  steamed  through  this  tract  of  a  past  life  and  prosperity  and 
approached  the  first  foothills  of  the  Andes.  They  loomed  up  before 
us  bleak,  brown  and  bare,  with  scarcely  a  leaf  of  vegetation  to 
relieve  their  forbidding  aspect.  All  mist-nurtured  verdure  van- 
ished for  a  time,  and  only  sunburnt  rocks  stood  forth  in  grim  and 
uninviting  majesty.  These  were  the  beginning  of  the  real  ascent 
up  the  mighty  Cordilleras  of  the  South,  a  dull  beginning  indeed  in 
its  gray  monotony  with  not  a  patch  of  green  on  these  eternal  hills 
facing  the  waters  of  the  wide  Pacific.  Happily,  however,  it  is  not 
indicative  of  the  rest  of  the  journey.  It  is  quite  deceptive,  inas- 
much as  it  leads  the  traveler  to  expect  a  like  experience  all  along 
the  line,  and  he  is  apt  to  think  there  is  nothing  in  store  for  his  vision 
but  bulging,  barren  mountains,  Sahara  wastes,  forbidding  precipices 
and  sun-scorched  steppes.  He  is  soon  disillusioned.  There  is  no 
generality  at  all  about  a  trip  on  the  Oroya.  The  scenery  is  as 
varied  as  it  well  can  be.  There  is  a  kaleidoscopic  series  of  views 
and  sights  from  beginning  to  end,  one  different  from  another. 

As  our  locomotive  toils,  panting  and  puffing,  up  the  incline  like 
a  wearied  thing  of  life  under  a  heavy  strain,  the  base  rocks  are 
left  behind  and  a  thin  fuzz  of  verdure  comes  creeping,  as  it  were, 
out  of  the  gray  haze.  We  look  away  to  the  right  and  we  see  fringes 
of  brown  vegetation  which  we  know  are  lichens  and  mosses  and 


142  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

other  weeds  on  the  banks  of  the  Rimac  River.  As  we  ascend  higher 
and  higher  the  sides  of  the  mountains  become  greener  and  greener, 
until  they  display  a  foliage  of  growth  seemingly  as  succulent  and 
dense  as  that  of  a  well-watered  plain.  Indeed  the  verdure  is  a  sur- 
prise to  us  and  a  pleasant  one.  There  are  many  kinds  of  flowers 
presenting  a  wealth  of  coloring  as  varied  as  the  blends  of  the 
spectrum.  To  classify  them  would  tax  the  lore  of  the  most  ex- 
perienced botanist  or  floriculturist.  We  are  only  able  to  differentiate 
a  few  of  the  familiar  varieties,  such  as  buttercups,  sunflowers,  moun- 
tain daisies,  jonquils,  nasturtiums,  azaleas  and  wild  geraniums.  Here 
and  there  we  can  also  distinguish  clusters  of  the  feathery  algaroba 
and  clumps  of  spiny  cacti,  many  of  the  latter  in  beautiful  flower. 

Higher  still  and  once  more  we  find  the  hand  of  man  aiding  Nature 
in  her  great  laboratory.  We  see  cultivated  fields  of  corn ;  true,  they 
are  but  mere  patches,  terraced  on  the  mountainside,  like  so  many 
dark  green  slates  on  a  slanting  roof.  Yet  they  refresh  the  eye  and 
give  evidence  of  life  and  activity.  The  angle  of  incline  approaches 
so  near  the  perpendicular  in  many  cases,  that  one  wonders  how  they 
are  cultivated  at  all.  The  agriculturists  here  are  the  Indians.  They 
terrace  the  little  fields  with  stone  ledges.  While  preparing  and 
planting  the  ground  they  stand  on  the  lower  ledges  and  always 
work  up. 

Indian  huts,  looking  as  if  they  were  hanging  from  the  very  brows 
of  the  hills  ready  to  topple  down  at  any  moment,  are  scattered 
around.  They  are  one  story  in  front,  the  side  of  the  mountain 
serves  as  a  back  wall  to  which  the  roof  extends  back  at  a  very  acute 
angle.  The  roof  is  of  corn-thatch  and  the  outside  wall  is  of  sun- 
dried  brick.  In  fact,  they  are  little  better  than  a  shed,  or  what  is 
generally  called  a  "lean-to"  in  our  own  country.  These  Indians 
are  wretchedly  poor  and  live  (exist  is  the  better  word)  more  like 
animals  than  human  beings.  They  are  dark-faced,  sullen,  unhappy- 
looking  creatures,  who  seem  to  stand  in  mortal  dread  of  strangers, 
wholly  unlike  in  every  way  our  conception  of  the  Indian  character. 

In  our  ascent  so  far  we  had  passed  several  stations  on  the  road, 
most  of  them  Indian  villages  of  adobe  huts  with  thatched  and 
corrugated  iron  roofs.  Indians  of  the  peon  type,  men  and  women, 
with  hard,  furrowed  faces  and  slave-driven  mien,  came  out  and 
glared  at  us ;  they  excited  a  commingled  feeling  of  disgust  and  pity. 
Their  black  eyes  followed  us  with  a  stolid,  unmeaning,  yet  uncanny 
glare  as  we  lumbered  onward  and  upward. 

The  first  place  of  any  importance  we  passed  was  Chosica,  about 


INDIANS    AT     HOME 


INDIAN  TYPES.  ANDEAN  HIGHLANDS 


143 


ON  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  WORLD  145 

thirty-three  miles  from  Lima  and  some  twenty-eight  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea.  Here  we  noticed  the  atmosphere  becoming  a  little 
rarer  and  "felt  that  we  were  getting  up  in  the  world." 

A  dozen  miles  more  and  we  welcome  the  first  switchback.  This 
is  at  San  Bartholome,  a  place  which  does  but  little  honor  to  the  poor 
saint  for  whom  it  is  named.  We  had  now  reached  the  5,000-foot 
mark  and  in  somewhat  of  an  exhilarated  mood  felt  like  congratula- 
ting ourselves  that  we  had  the  hardihood  and  temerity  to  risk  the 
trip.  We  were  beginning  to  really  feel  the  novelty  and  attraction 
of  the  situation. 

Onward,  still  onward  and  upward,  we  (I  was  almost  saying)  flew 
— but  truth  compels  me  to  substitute  crawled,  wheezing  and  blowing 
and  puffing, — meaning  the  locomotive, — until  we  arrived  at  the  Wart 
Water  Bridge,  i.  e.,  the  Verrugas,  already  mentioned,  where  such 
repairs  had  been  made  as  enabled  passengers  to  cross  with  a  cer- 
tain degree  of  safety.  Then  more  quickly  through  the  Cuesta 
Blanca,  past  Surco  and  Challapa,  up  to  the  station  at  the  little  town 
of  Matucana,  seventy-seven  hundred  feet  or  more  above  sea-level, 
where  a  stop  of  half  an  hour  was  allowed  for  almuerzo  and  to  take 
in  the  surroundings. 

Matucana  is  quite  a  pretentious  little  place  here  in  the  Andean 
Cordilleras,  and  puts  on  airs  of  its  own,  as  if  it  were  of  some  im- 
portance in  the  cosmos  of  the  universe.  It  has,  besides  the  station, 
a  few  streets,  with  several  balconied  houses,  converging  on  a  plaza, 
a  public  inn  and  a  church  which  tries  to  emulate  a  cathedral  and 
doubtless  thinks  itself  every  bit  as  entitled  to  the  consideration  not 
only  of  visitors  from  the  surrounding  home-country  but  from 
gringos  as  well.  It  is  but  a  yellow  mud  edifice,  with  an  Old  World 
Spanish  fagade,  yet  it  has  a  choir,  music,  incense  and  a  loud  pomp 
and  pageantry  of  ritual  and  ceremony  worthy  of  St.  Peter's  itself. 
It  stands  at  one  side  of  the  little  plaza  of  which  the  station  occupies 
the  other.  On  the  remaining  sides  are  adobe  and  bamboo  houses 
frescoed  and  stuccoed  and  tricked  out  to  deceive  the  eye  as  to  their 
solidity.     As  already  mentioned,  some  have  balconies. 

Matucana  is  not  a  mere  Indian  village,  it  is  also  a  health  resort, 
much  patronized  by  strangers  for  its  fresh  air  and  sunshine.  One 
can  observe  many  pretty  sefioritas  here  with  those  flashy  black  eyes, 
raven  hair  and  olive  complexions  that  have  given  to  the  Peruvian 
women  a  merited  fame  for  beauty  the  world  over.  They  are  free 
and  easy  in  their  bearing,  without  the  slightest  suspicion  of  im- 
modesty or  unwomanliness,  and  have  such  an  ingratiating  way  about 


146  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

them  that  they  unconsciously  captivate  by  their  innate  charms  of 
manner  and  character. 

Some  travelers  get  off  at  Matucana  and  remain  for  a  day  or  so 
to  accustom  themselves  to  the  rarefied  condition  of  the  atmosphere 
with  a  view  to  partially  or  wholly  escaping  the  altitude  fever 
known  as  sorroche,  which  may  be  defined  as  "sea-sickness  of  the 
mountains," 

They  might  as  well  continue  the  journey,  for  none,  except  those 
who  are  constantly  inured  to  the  mountain  heights,  or  those  whose 
constitutions  by  some  provision  of  nature  are  immune  to  the  effects 
of  these  high  altitudes  can  hope  to  escape  the  sickness  beyond  the 
12,000-foot  level.  As  well  try  to  escape  sea-sickness  by  paddling 
around  the  bay  for  a  few  days  to  inure  one's  self  to  the  salt  water 
before  undertaking  a  voyage.  When  out  amid  the  breakers  of  •)ld 
ocean  you  will  find  that  your  paddling  has  been  in  vain,  that  mat 
de  mer  will  catch  you  just  the  same  as  if  you  never  had  got  a 
smell  of  the  sea  until  you  stepped  upon  deck,  except  you  are  nature 
proof  against  its  attacks.  A  man  may  imbibe  a  certain  quantity 
of  alcoholic  stimulants  without  showng  visible  effect,  but  if  he  in- 
dulges beyond  a  certain  limit  he  will  inevitably  get  intoxicated  and 
suffer  the  consequences.  An  almost  similar  analogy  applies  to 
draughts  of  a  rarefied  atmosphere,  with  this  exception,  that  no 
matter  how  accustomed  a  man  may  be  to  strong  liquor  there  is  a 
limit  beyond  which  he  cannot  go,  whereas,  in  the  case  of  rarefied  air, 
to  a  certain  height,  he  can  get  so  proof  against  it  by  constant 
experience  that  it  becomes  but  an  ordinary  element  in  his  nature. 
Engineers  and  guards  and  old-time  travelers  on  the  Oroya  suffer 
little  or  no  inconvenience  from  the  great  altitudes. 

Sorroche  grips  the  susceptible  passenger  of  the  Oroya  in  unpleas- 
ant earnestness  about  the  12,000-foot  level,  as  I  have  said.  Of 
course,  it  may  and  often  does  attack  him  before  this  point  is  reached, 
or  he  may  ward  it  off  to  even  a  higher  altitude,  all  depending  on  his 
constitution  and  climatic  experience.  It  is  always  an  unwelcome 
visitor.  For  a  great  many  it  mars  to  a  considerable  degree  the 
interest  attached  to  climbing  up  these  sublime  heights  of  the  Andes. 

Both  in  symptoms  and  effect,  it  is  very  similar  to  sea-sickness. 
It  comes  on  with  nausea,  headache,  then  vertigo  and  sometimes 
fainting  fits,  followed  by  general  lassitude  and  weakness,  and  on 
occasions  the  sight  grows  dim  and  hearing  is  considerably  affected. 
In  extreme  cases  blood  flows  from  eyes,  nose  and  lips.  There  is 
little  danger  of  a     fatal  termination,  however,  unless  the  heart  is 


ON  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  WORLD  147 

weak;  therefore,  I  would  strongly  advise  any  one  with  impaired 
heart  action  never  to  attempt  the  ascent.  Weak-lunged  persons 
are  also  in  considerable  danger,  as  they  are  liable  to  exhausting 
hemorrhages  caused  by  lack  of  oxygen.  Also  those  who  have  been 
addicted  to  excesses  or  an  indulgence  in  "high"  living  should  keep 
away.  The  sickness  may  last  for  days  or  it  may  pass  away  in  a 
few  hours.  It  is  liable  to  return  with  severe  intensity  when  a 
lower  level  is  reached. 

When  we  came  to  the  sorroche  altitude  our  car  presented  much 
the  same  appearance  as  one  sees  on  shipboard.  Some  were  crouched 
into  different  kinds  of  positions,  heads  lolling  on  the  backs  of  the 
seats  and  against  the  windows  and  sides  of  the  car.  Others  had 
sunk  down  on  the  cushions,  regardless,  in  their  suffering,  of  ap- 
pearances. A  few  were  even  rolling  on  the  floor.  Many  had  shawls 
and  ponchos  wrapped  around  their  heads,  which  is  not  a  bad  way 
of  resisting  the  sickness.  Those  who  were  not  yet  attacked  went 
around  offering  advice  and  assistance  to  the  suffering,  but  the  latter 
were  not  in  amenable  moods  and  both  the  advice  and  assistance 
were  in  most  cases  rejected.  The  comforters,  alas !  were  soon  at- 
tacked themselves,  and,  like  doctors,  they  were  then  nowise  dis- 
posed to  partake  of  their  own  medicines.  Many  were  not  attacked, 
and  these  seemed  to  look  on  the  trouble  of  others  as  a  matter  of 
course,  unworthy  of  notice  in  fact.  These  were  the  hardened 
travelers  who  had  been  inured  to  the  Andean  heights. 

As  for  myself,  when  I  felt  the  giddiness  coming  on  I  tried 
to  ward  it  off  with  sweet  chocolate,  which  I  was  advised  before 
starting  would  be  a  sure  preventive.  There  is  no  sure  preventive. 
Many  kinds  of  nostrums  are  put  up  to  ward  it  off,  but  all  fail.  Just 
as  in  the  case  of  sea-sickness,  it  can  be  lessened  but  not  kept  off. 
One  of  the  best  remedies  is  to  keep  one's  person  well  covered, 
especially  the  head  and  neck,  so  that  these  parts  may  be  thoroughly 
protected  from  the  winds.  The  long  boas  of  vicuna  fur  common 
to  the  country  are  excellent  for  this  purpose,  as  they  can  be  wound 
several  times  around  the  neck.  The  Indians  knit  woolen  masks  and 
head-coverings  which  also  serve  the  same  purpose  almost  as  well. 
As  little  exercise  as  possible  should  be  taken,  the  body,  as  far  as 
possible,  should  be  kept  at  rest.  Alcohol  in  any  form  must  be 
rigidly  avoided,  for  it  quickens  the  action  of  the  heart  in  the  rare 
air  and  therefore  overworks  it,  which  intensifies  the  sickness  and  is 
positively  dangerous  even  to  those  with  strong  constitutions.  Tobac- 
co must  also  be  tabooed. 


148  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

In  addition  to  sweet  chocolate,  a  kind  of  shallot,  called  ajos,  is 
recommended  both  to  be  eaten  and  rubbed  upon  the  temples.  As 
little  food  as  possible  should  be  taken  into  the  system. 

As  we  have  said,  the  virulence  or  intensity  of  the  malady  depends 
much  upon  the  constitution  and  experience  and  the  circumstances 
of  the  moment.  There  is  no  specific  remedy ;  what  would  be  bene- 
ficial to  one  might  be  prejudicial  to  another.  In  this  respect  it  is 
just  the  same  as  sea-sickness. 

If  you  are  experienced  in  high  climbing,  to  mountain  altitudes  and 
rarefied  air,  you  need  have  no  fear  of  sorroche.  The  Cholo  Indians 
never  feel  the  thin  air  at  all,  it  has  no  effect  upon  them,  they  run 
up  the  brows  of  the  precipices  as  nimble  as  the  chamois  up  the  Alps 
or  the  Pyrenees.  The  miners  in  these  high  regions  of  the  Andes  are 
never  troubled  either. 

The  higher  we  ascended  the  air  became  fresher  and  the  sunshine 
seemed  brighter.  We  passed  over  spider-web  bridges  apparently 
hanging  in  air  without  supports.  Those  of  us  not  too  much  under 
the  influence  of  sorroche,  or  not  under  it  at  all,  could  realize  the 
expressiveness  of  the  scenery.  Far  below  we  could  see  here  and 
there  the  white  waters  of  the  Rimac  dashing  and  splashing  around 
curves.  So  vast  seemed  the  depths  that  without  stretching  the 
imagination  one  might  fancy  they  belonged  to  another  world  we  had 
left  behind.  Some  of  the  highest  mountains  in  Europe  could  be 
placed  in  these  valleys  and  their  summits  not  reach  the  altitude  we 
had  now  gained. 

We  passed  Cacray  and  Chicla,  almost  13,000  feet  above  Lima; 
the  fields  and  the  cultivation  again  disappeared  and  the  region  re- 
minded me  somewhat  of  the  country  along  the  Yellowstone.  Cara- 
vans of  burros  and  llamas  were  passed  carrying  silver  and  copper 
ore  to  the  smelting  works  at  Casapalca,  the  chimneys  of  whose 
smelters  soon  came  into  view,  standing  up  like  silhouetted  ghosts 
against  the  clear  blue  of  the  Andean  sky.  These  great  smelters  of 
Casapalca  were  built  by  three  Americans,  Messrs.  Backus  &  John- 
son, capitalists  of  Lima,  and  Captain  H.  Geyer,  an  American  mining 
engineer.  Great  quantities  of  ore  are  brought  here  from  the  mines 
of  Cerro  de  Pasco,  which  cire  about  seventy  miles  distant.  Llamas 
are  generally  used  for  transportation.  Sometimes  you  can  see  as 
many  as  a  hundred  in  a  caravan.  At  Casapalca  we  saw  several 
hundreds  of  the  animals  in  a  mudwall  corral,  where  they  had  been 
driven  after  depositing  their  burdens. 

Beyond  Casapalca  peaks  of  rock  came  into  view  which  seemed  as 


ON  THE  ROOF  OF  THE  WORLD  151 

if  in  some  ancient  time  they  liad  been  smoothed  by  glacial  ice. 
Patches  of  snow  were  lying  in  the  shadows,  and  the  air  was  so  cold 
that  we  were  glad  enough  to  wrap  our  robes  and  boas  and  ponchos 
tightly  around  our  bodies  to  keep  out  the  penetrating  atmosphere. 
Soon  we  were  at  the  Galera,  the  culminating  point  of  the  Oroya  and 
the  very  top  of  the  cold,  windswept  Andean  roof.  The  sensation 
of  standing  on  the  top  of  the  Andes  was  certainly  one  worth  ex- 
periencing, and  one  which  certainly  compensated  us  for  the  hazard- 
ous journey  up  the  Oroya.  We  were  a  thousand  feet  higher  than 
Pike's  Peak,  in  fact  higher  than  any  mountain  in  the  United  States, 
with  the  exception  of  Mount  McKinley  in  Alaska.  Standing  there 
on  the  very  roof  of  the  world,  as  it  were,  and  gazing  on  the  stupen- 
dous work  of  nature,  those  colossal  mountain  tops  piercing  the 
heavens  with  their  snow-clad  peaks,  we  realized  how  small,  how 
weak  and  puny  and  insignificant  is  the  greatest  effort  and  work 
of  man  when  put  in  comparison  with  that  of  the  sublime  Architect 
of  the  Universe.  The  scene  awakened  a  lively  faith  in  and  deep 
reverence  for  that  Great  Being  who  "holds  the  world  in  the  hollow 
of  His  hand." 

We  had  now  realized  our  ambition  to  climb  the  Andes  by  way 
of  the  Oroya.  We  could  get  no  higher;  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Galera  it  is  a  down  grade  to  Oroya,  a  distance  of  a  little  over  thirty 
miles.  Then  come  the  plateaus  and  snow  valleys  of  the  Andean 
treasure  land.  The  mines  of  Cerro  de  Pasco  lie  across  the  Junin 
pampa  where  Bolivar  gave  a  thrashing  to  the  Spaniards,  and  a 
deserved  one,  away  back  in  1824. 

I  was  not  sorry  to  see  the  smoky  glimmer  of  the  lamps  in 
the  little  station  of  Oroya  after  the  most  remarkable  railway  journey 
I  had  ever  undertaken,  one  which  I  shall  remember  until  I  am 
summoned  to  take  a  greater  and  more  important  journey  to  that 
bourne  from  whence  no  traveler  returns  to  tell  the  tale  of  the 
Great  Beyond. 


CHAPTER  VII 
IN  SOUTHERN  PERU 

FROM  LIMA  TO  AREQUIPA 

All  too  soon  the  time  came  for  us  to  resume  our  journey  to 
other  places,  and  regretfully  we  had  to  say  adios  to  the  quaint  old 
city  of  Lima,  Pizarro's  City  of  the  Kmgs,  now  far  from  kingly 
but  sitting  rather  like  a  dethroned  queen  by  the  waters  of  the 
Western  sea,  mourning  the  days  that  are  gone,  sighing  for  the 
glories  of  a  glittering  past  that  can  never  return. 

We  steamed  out  of  Callao  harbor  again  on  a  southern  course,  the 
still  waters  spreading  before  us  like  a  burnished  plane  of  silver 
in  the  sunlight.  Our  next  port  was  Pisco.  This  is  a  pretty  town 
lying  adjacent  to  a  valley  teeming  with  many  kinds  of  vegetation, 
well  flanked  with  a  goodly  arborage  consisting  of  palms,  pines,  olives 
and  other  trees.  The  port  leads  out  into  an  open  bay  sheltered  by 
rocky  islets;  it  does  a  thriving  business.  The  beach  bends  some- 
what in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  and  lying  off  in  the  background  we 
could  see  several  smooth,  circular  hills. 

The  soft,  calm  water  looked  very  inviting  and  the  place  seemed 
adapted  to  bathing,  but  as  sharks  abound  around  these  shores  the 
element  of  danger  deters  one  from  taking  a  plunge. 

The  town  lies  back  about  a  mile  or  so  from  the  port,  with  which 
it  is  connected  by  a  mule  tramway.  It  is  a  place  of  much  commer- 
cial importance,  the  annual  trade  amounting  to  considerable  over  a 
million  dollars.  Probably  Pisco  is  best  known  for  the  ardent  liquor 
which  bears  its  name.  This  distillation  is  a  kind  of  brandy  which, 
when  pure,  excels  French  cognac,  but  alas !  the  art  of  adulteration 
has  been  learned  here  as  in  other  places,  and  ''pisco"  is  blended 
so  often  and  mixed  so  much  with  deleterious  compounds  and  in- 
gredients that  it  loses  its  individuality.  When  so  adulterated  both 
the  taste  and  strength  of  the  genuine  article  are  lacking.    There  are 

152 


FROM  LIMA  TO  AREQUIPA  153 

many  vineyards  around  the  place.  The  grapes,  in  their  natural 
state,  are  delicious— in  fact  I  think  unrivaled  by  those  of  any  other 
climate.  As  soon  as  we  arrived  in  the  harbor  several  venders  came 
on  board  with  luscious  bunches,  and  I  can  truthfully  say  I  never 
tasted  elsewhere  any  of  the  fruit  equal  to  what  they  offered,  much 
less  superior.  Oranges  were  also  for  sale,  large,  tempting  spheres 
of  juiciness  with  a  flavor  extremely  pleasant  to  the  palate.  An- 
other fruit,  or  rather  vegetable,  was  the  *'pepino,"  which  may  be 
described  as  a  sweet  cucumber,  cylindrical  in  form,  tapering  at  the 
ends,  and  about  four  or  five  inches  in  length.  It  is  of  a  yellowish- 
green  color,  and  the  pulp  though  quite  solid  is  juicy  and  has  an 
agreeable  taste. 

The  country  around  Pisco  offers  a  wide  variety  of  tropical  fruits- 
Bananas  grow  in  great  profusion.  Alligator  pears  or  paltas,  else- 
where mentioned,  and  one  of  the  choicest  products  of  the  tropics, 
flourish  here.  Water-melons  are  particularly  large  and  fine,  out- 
classing those  of  Florida  or  Georgia.  Indeed  this  part  of  the 
country  is  a  land  of  remarkable  fertility,  the  soil  is  exceptionally 
rich,  but  it  is  not  sufficiently  cultivated  to  bring  forth  its  fullest 
measure.  It  easily  could  be  made  to  afford  a  splendid  source  of  in- 
come to  the  natives,  as  markets  would  very  readily  open  for  all 
its  products.  As  it  is,  some  enterprise  is  being  shown  in  the  right 
direction.  Several  influential  parties  have  become  wide  awake  to 
the  possibility  of  obtaining  great  resources  from  the  proper  treat- 
ment of  the  land,  and  consequently  a  scheme  of  irrigation  has  been 
projected  which  it  is  hoped  will  bear  good  results.  What  are  now 
arid  places  will  be  fitted  probably  for  cultivation.  All  the  plain 
which  parallels  the  coast  down  to  Tambo  de  Mora  could  be  easily 
watered  and  so  rendered  prolific  and  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 
There  is  little  doubt  that  after  the  opening  of  the  Panama  Canal 
this  locality  will  invite  many  settlers.  The  banana  plantations  can 
be  made  very  profitable;  cocoa  and  coffee  can  also  be  produced 
in  good  quantities. 

There  is  a  railroad  between  Pisco  and  lea,  forty  miles  distant.  It 
runs  through  a  valley  rich  in  tropical  and  temperate  products,  su'  h 
as  cotton,  corn,  alfalfa  and  sugar-cane.  Several  fine  haciendas  and 
splendid  plantations  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  this  section. 

Ten  or  twelve  miles  out  from  Pisco  in  a  northwestern  direction 
lie  the  celebrated  Chincha  Islands.  We  passed  them  at  sunset,  a 
time  in  which  they  presented  a  striking  appearance  in  the  glow 
of  the  fading  light.    From  these  islands  is  obtained  the  best  guano. 


154  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

As  most  people  are  aware,  guano  is  the  excreta  of  fish-eating  fowls, 
such  as  gulls,  cormorants  and  penguins.  Its  value  depends  upon 
the  amount  of  nitrogenous  matter  it  contains.  This  matter,  in  hot 
and  rainless  places,  is  preserved  by  natural  desiccation,  whereas  in 
damp  or  moist  localities  it  is  almost  entirely  decomposed  and  lost 
by  vaporization.  As  the  Chincha  Islands  are  hot  and  almost  rain- 
less, the  guano  retains  a  high  percentage  of  nitrogen  and  is  there- 
fore very  valuable  as  a  fertilizer.  It  is  piled  up  to  a  depth  of  over 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  on  the  islands,  and  the  Peruvian  Govern- 
ment makes  many  thousands  of  dollars  in  exporting  it.  A  flotilla  of 
vessels  are  employed  in  the  trade,  and  the  labor  of  loading  them 
is  cheap,  as  coolies  and  the  poorest  natives  of  the  coast  are  employed 
for  the  work.  Immense  as  is  the  quantity  deposited  yearly  it  is 
feared  the  supply  will  soon  run  short,  so  great  is  the  demand. 
Countless  numbers  of  birds  were  flying,  hovering,  circling,  wheeling 
and  diving  above  and  around  the  islands,  and  as  the  day  was  about 
to  close  hundreds  were  seeking  their  roosts.  Their  quick  move- 
ments, with  the  variegation  of  their  plumages,  made  an  unique  and 
interesting  effect,  one  not  soon  to  be  forgotten  by  the  beholder.  We 
watched  them  until  the  islands  were  far  in  our  wake  and  the 
gorgeous  tropic  twilight  came  down,  shutting  out  the  view. 

During  the  next  day  not  a  tree  or  shrub  or  twig  or  anything  of 
green  foliage  or  appearance  could  be  seen  along  the  desolate  looking 
sweep  of  shore.  In  fact  the  only  thing  that  arrested  our  attention 
was  a  curiously  shaped  cross  cut  into  a  sloping  rock  of  a  cliff 
about  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  We  were  informed  that  this  em- 
blematical reminder  was  carved  many  years  ago  to  commemorate  a 
religious  agreement  between  the  natives  and  the  Indians,  and  that 
the  place  where  it  now  attracts  the  attention  of  the  sea-going  tourist 
is  the  scene  of  annual  religious  solemnities  which  are  attended  by 
many  of  the  faithful  and  devout  from  the  surrounding  country. 

At  Mollendo,  our  next  port  of  call,  we  found  the  landing  rather 
a  difficult  one,  owing  to  the  southwesterly  sw^ell  and  strong  cur- 
rent, but  we  were  put  ashore  in  good  condition  by  the  strong  natives 
who  engineered  our  little  boat,  which  bobbed  up  and  down  between 
the  heavy  swells  like  a  cork  upon  a  stream.  After  the  usual  formali- 
ties of  the  customs,  most  wearisome  and  uninteresting,  we  repaired 
to  the  Hotel  Ferrocarril,  overlooking  the  harbor,  the  best  in  the 
place,  which  is  saying  little  for  the  second  best,  not  to  speak  of  the 
worst. 

Probably  there  is  no  worst,  as  the  one  to  which  we  were  brought 


BIT    OF    MOLLEXDO    HARBOR 


CATHEDRAL.   MOLLENDO 


155 


A  QUIET   CHAT,   AREOUIPA 


INDIANS   AT  A   STATION.    SPINNING 


IftT 


FROM  LIMA  TO  AREQUIPA  159 

seemed  to  defy  competition  in  that  direction.  During  the  night  I 
found  out  that  whatever  it  lacked  in  some  respects,  it  had  an  abun- 
dant supply  of  the  genus  Pulex,  commonly  called  fleas.  These  fleas 
are  not  the  parasites  of  the  Old  World  {Pulex  irritans),  but  the 
cat  and  dog  variety  (Pulex  serraticeps)  of  these  South  American 
countries.  They  were  certainly  very  active  and  agile  and  assiduously 
put  to  flight  any  somnolent  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  guests. 

Mollendo  is  a  very  busy  port,  being  second  only  to  Callao  in 
exports  and  imports,  the  total  commerce  averaging  over  $5,000,000 
annually.  The  chief  exports,  which  come  from  the  interior,  are 
alpaca  and  other  wools,  with  some  borax  and  minerals  and  a  small 
quantity  of  coffee.  The  opening  of  the  Canal  is  bound  to  have  a 
big  effect  on  the  shipments,  as  they  will  then  have  the  benefit  of 
competitive  ocean  rates  through  the  waterway.  All  the  freight  for 
Arequipa,  Puno  and  La  Paz  de  Ayacucho,  the  capital  city  of  Bolivia, 
passes  through  Mollendo.  The  town  is  built  upon  rock  which  ex- 
tends into  the  sea  at  an  elevation  of  about  one  hundred  feet.  It 
is  not  of  much  interest  to  the  sight-seer,  as  there  are  no  remarkable 
buildings  or  places  to  claim  unusual  attention. 

From  Mollendo  we  took  a  train  for  Arequipa,  about  one  hundred 
and  seven  miles  distant.  The  Southern  Railroad  is  in  operation 
from  Mollendo  through  Arequipa  to  Cuzco  and  Lake  Titicaca,  the 
highest  navigated  lake  in  the  world.  This  railroad  is  likely  to  be 
extended  and  probably  will  connect  with  the  Central  or  Oroya  road, 
thus  giving  Lima  connection  with  the  ancient  seat  of  the  Inca  dyn- 
asty. This  Southern  road  is  very  interesting.  For  a  stretch  of  fifteen 
miles  or  so  out  from  Mollendo  the  track  runs  along  the  sea-beach 
and  then  enters  a  '*quebrada,"  or  deep  ravine  in  the  mountains, 
before  climbing  the  steep  ascent  of  the  mighty  Cordilleras.  After 
passing  through  the  ravine  we  gradually  crept  up  through  a  region 
of  rocks  and  sand  probably  upheaved  in  some  great  cataclysm  of 
nature  in  ages  past.  The  fine  white  sand  is  called  kaolin  and  is 
shipped  in  large  quantities  to  Europe  to  enter  into  the  manufacture 
of  costly  china  and  other  delicate  pottery  wares.  There  are  also 
large  quantities  of  borax  here  and  there  in  this  section.  Between 
the  hills  are  many  beautiful  well-watered  valleys,  which  produce 
abundant  crops  of  cotton  and  cane;  the  latter  presented  a  vivid 
green,  the  former  appeared  in  dark  tints.  The  cotton  plant  blossoms 
perennially  and  ripens  about  three  months  after  the  buds  appear, 
and  picking  may  be  carried  on  during  the  whole  course  of  the  year. 
An  hacienda  need  not  be  planted  more  than  cnce  in  a  generation. 


160  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

As  we  got  higher,  lava  tracts  appeared,  and  tough,  wiry  buffalo 
grass  could  be  seen  in  bunches  at  intervals,  diversifying  somewhat 
the  general  monotony  of  the  aspect.  Still  higher  chaparral  and 
cacti  came  into  view,  the  latter  being  of  the  candelabra  variety  which 
spreads  out  in  arms  like  a  branched  candlestick. 

At  the  little  dusty  stations  en  route  many  Indians,  in  bright  colored 
ponchos,  offered  us  chicha,  a  native  drink  made  from  fermented 
corn.  This  is  a  highly  intoxicating  beverage,  which  claims  many 
victims  among  the  natives.  Fruits  from  the  valleys  were  also  offered 
ftr  sale  by  native  women,  as  well  as  large  bunches  of  sugar-cane, 
which  invited  a  number  of  purchasers.  The  stations  are  generally 
well  built  with  adobe  walls  and  roofs  of  corrugated  iron.  For  the 
most  part  they  are  surrounded  by  neat  little  dwellings,  the  residences 
of  the  railroad  employees,  constructed  in  a  measure  after  the  man- 
ner and  of  the  same  materials  as  the  station  houses.  At  many  of 
these  halting  stages  were  large  piles  of  freight  awaiting  transporta- 
tion, and  scores  of  the  patient  little  burros,  their  large  heads  and 
spindle-shank  legs  eliciting  much  comment. 

We  continued  slowly  up  the  mountainside  in  a  now  and  then 
sinuous  course,  the  track  at  some  places  forming  curves  and  ser- 
pentines and  horseshoes  and  at  other  places  stretching  out  in 
straight  reaches  for  short  distances.  However,  we  were  making  pro- 
gress and  getting  higher  and  higher.  There  is  an  average  rise  of 
about  eight  hundred  feet  between  stations  until  Arequipa  is  reached, 
which  is  7,500  feet  above  tide-water.  Our  rate  of  progress  was  very 
slow,  five  hours  being  required  to  make  the  journey  from  MoUendo 
to  Cachendo,  a  lunch  station  4,000  feet  above  sea-level.  Here  we 
had  our  first  view  of  El  Misti,  a  glittering  snow-peak  over  19,200 
feet  in  height.  This  is  an  active  volcano.  To  its  left  towered  Cha- 
chani,  at  a  greater  elevation,  while  to  the  right  lay  Pichu-Pichu, 
18,000  feet  in  altitude.  Beyond  these  lies  Coropimo,  one  of  the  cul- 
minating peaks  of  South  America,  22,000  feet  above  the  sea. 

After  this  the  train  entered  a  dreary  region  known  as  the  pampas, 
a  plateau  of  thirty  or  more  miles  in  width  and  covered  with  volcanic 
sand  and  ashes.  This  plain  reminded  some  of  us  of  the  barren 
stretches  of  Western  Australia ;  there  was  not  a  sign  of  life  or  of  a 
living  thing;  no  hum  of  insect,  no  chirp  of  bird,  no  cry  of  animal, 
not  a  twig  or  leaf  of  grass  or  of  any  vegetation,  nothing  in  fact  to 
relieve  the  dread  monotony  which  seemed  to  cling  around  it  like  a 
funeral  pall.  In  truth  it  looked  like  a  land  where  everything  was 
dead,     Scattered  over  it  were  boulders  and  lava,  scoria  and  baked 


'CHICA"   SELLERS 


MT.   EL   MISTI,   FROM  AkEQUIPA   (19,200  FEET) 


161 


SAND  CRESCENTS,  DESERT  OF  ISLAY 


-.1 


.5-«f^ 


m 


.%¥••"  ^'' 


BLEAK    FOOTHILLS    OF    THE   ANDES 


168 


FROM  LIMA  TO  AREQUIPA  165 

clay,  the  results  of  volcanic  upheaval.  Yet  there  were  signs  that 
life  had  been  here,  the  life  that  constructed  this  iron  road  up  the 
mountains,  for  at  intervals  amid  the  desolation  could  be  seen  crosses 
to  mark  where  lay  the  bones  of  unfortunate  ones  who  had  perished 
in  the  labor. 

This  railway,  like  that  of  the  Oroya,  cost  not  alone  a  vast  sum  in 
money  but  exacted  a  heavy  toll  in  human  lives.  Most  of  the  work 
was  done  by  peons  and  imported  coolies.  Though  many  of  those 
who  succumbed  bowed  before  other  emblems  than  that  of  the  cross, 
the  ones  who  reverenced  the  cross  placed  that  insignia  of  Christian 
salvation  above  their  bones. 

Passing  over  the  waste  of  pampas  called  the  Islay  Desert  what 
are  known  as  the  "medanos''  appeared.  These  are  crescent-shaped 
little  hills  of  silica  gleaming  in  white  crystals  and  rise  to  a  height  of 
from  ten  to  twenty  feet  at  the  center  of  the  arc ;  they  look  to  be 
formed  with  exact  mathematical  precision.  They  are  certainly 
wonderful  looking  little  piles  and  are  constantly  shifting  places, 
moving  about  ten  feet  in  the  course  of  a  year,  but  strange  to  say, 
they  never  get  mixed  up  with  one  another.  Some  were  so  close 
to  each  side  of  the  track  that  gravel  was  heaped  against  them  to 
prevent  their  moving  over  the  rails  and  so  obstructing  passage. 

Approaching  Arequipa  the  road  again  enters  among  great  hills, 
and  runs  over  mighty  chasms  caused  by  the  sundering  of  huge  rocks 
probably  in  prehistoric  ages  through  volcanic  action  or  some  seismic 
convulsion  of  nature.  Here  the  mind  is  impressed  with  a  solemnity 
in  face  of  the  tremendous  forces  of  material  power  which  emphasize 
the  weakness  of  the  puny  efforts  of  man  and  make  him  realize  how 
insignificant  he  is  after  all,  in  the  grand  scheme  of  the  universe. 

Arequipa,  the  capital  of  a  department  of  the  same  name,  is  a 
city  with  a  population  of  about  45,000.  It  is  the  commercial,  ecclesi- 
astical and  political  capital  of  Southern  Peru.  It  is  an  Old  World 
place,  antiquated  and  conservative  in  the  extreme.  It  is  said  that 
the  inhabitants  can  trace  their  blood  farther  back  than  those  of 
any  other  town  in  all  of  South  America.  The  purity  of  the  at- 
mosphere of  Arequipa  is  remarkable,  the  air  seems  clearer  and  the 
sky  bluer  than  elsewhere;  the  azure  vault  of  heaven  bending  above 
it  in  its  translucent  beauty  looked  different  from  any  I  had  ever 
seen.  It  is  a  favorite  resort  for  consumptives  and  those  affected 
with  pulmonary  troubles  .  The  average  annual  temperature  is  57  de- 
grees F.,  but  water  freezes  in  June  and  July,  and  the  nights  are  ex- 
tremely chilly.     Owing  to  favorable  conditions  in  the  atmosphere 


166  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Harvard  University  chose  this  place  as  the  site  of  an  observatory  for 
mapping  the  stars  and  constellations  of  the  Southern  Hemisphere. 
For  centuries  it  has  been  noted  for  institutions  of  learning.  To  its  far- 
famed  University  come  students  from  all  parts  of  Peru  and  neigh- 
boring republics,  and  even  some  from  the  United  States  and  Europe. 

Arequipa  has  been  called  by  some  tourists  the  Athens  of  the 
South  and  in  certain  respects  it  can  justly  lay  claim  to  the  title. 
Most  of  the  streets  are  broad  and  the  sewerage  is  open  and  facilitated 
by  the  slope  from  either  side.  The  filth  and  ofifal  are  thrown  into 
the  open  drains,  yet  sometimes  in  hot  weather  an  offensive  effluvia 
arise,  which,  however,  are  quickly  borne  away  by  the  soft  air  cur- 
rents. 

The  residences  are  substantial  but  primitive  in  character.  Many 
of  the  houses  are  of  red  lava,  so  they  do  not  need  the  hand  of  Art 
to  add  to  their  color  or  picturesqueness.  Blue  seems  the  dominant 
color  in  most  of  the  houses  and  stores.  The  former  are  only  one 
story,  as  a  general  rule,  to  safeguard  against  earthquakes,  and  the 
walls  are  exceptionally  thick.  As  a  rule,  they  are  dark  and  gloomy, 
for  there  are  few  windows,  the  light  and  ventilation  being  obtained 
through  the  doors.  The  walls  are  sustained  by  immense  buttresses 
of  stone  and  adobe.  There  are  several  remarkable  buildings.  The 
Cathedral  on  one  side  of  the  Plaza  of  San  Francisco  is  among  the 
best  specimens  of  ecclesiastical  architecture  on  the  Southern  conti- 
nent. The  main  part  is  of  modern  workmanship,  the  old  building 
having  been  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  in  1868.  The  new  structure 
was  consecrated  in  1893.  There  are  other  churches  of  a  mediaeval 
appearance,  and  therefore  very  picturesque  at  the  present  time.  In 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Cathedral  square  are  fine  residences  with 
spacious  patios,  projecting  balconies  and  wide  carriage  entrances 
approached  by  spike-studded  doors,  recalling  the  days  of  Spanish 
rule  which,  I  think,  would  interest  any  one  with  antiquarian 
tastes  or  fond  of  delving  into  the  remarkable  landmarks  of  the  his- 
toric past. 

The  market-place  at  Arequipa  is  exceptionally  picturesque,  dec- 
orated in  gay  colors  to  attract  shoppers  and  the  general  crowd. 
Here  Indians  congregate  in  ponchos  of  varied  hues,  selling  fruits 
and  vegetables  and  nondescript  wares  and  articles.  Among  their 
offerings  are  dried  coca  leaves,*  which  are  chewed  somewhat  after 
the  manner  of  the  pressed  and  glucosed  leaves  of  tlie  tobacco  plant 
in  our  own  country.  The  place  is  thronged  with  women  and  children, 
and  crying  babies  add  an  element  of  discordant  noises  to  the  scene. 

*Coca  produces  the  useful  but  deadly  drug,  cocaine.  The  "coke"  fiends  of  the 
underworld  snuff  the  white  powder  which  they  call  "snow"  or  "heaven  dust." 
It  gives  pleasant  dreams  and  a  false  courage,  but  its  effects  are  deadly. 


BUSINESS    STREET,    AREQUIPA,    SHOWING    CATHEDRAL 


STREET   AND    CHURCH    FACADE,    AREQUIPA 


167 


A    GROUP    OF    LLAMAS 


INDIANS    IN    PONCHOS,    AREQUIPA 


169 


FROM  LIMA  TO  AREQUIPA  171 

And  we  must  not  forget  the  donkeys  and  llamas,  the  burden-bearers 
of  this  wonderful  southland.  The  donkey  is  an  ubiquitous  animal, 
but  the  llamas  are  indigenous  to  the  soil.  The  llama  has  served  the 
Indian  in  many  ways  and  has  been  his  chief  reliance  in  times  of  the 
most  pressing  difficulties,  when  all  other  props  were  taken  from 
him.  It  is  an  animal  of  the  camel  family,  but  it  is  much  smaller 
than  the  camel  and  has  no  humps ;  it  also  differs  in  the  separation  of 
the  toes,  having  claws.  In  fact  it  is  an  animal  with  a  camel's  head, 
a  sheep's  body  and  the  feet  and  legs  of  a  deer.  It  is  a  proud 
little  beast,  carries  its  head  high  in  the  air  and  has  altogether  an 
independent  look.  It  sometimes  gets  angry,  when  it  will  spit  instead 
of  bite,  but  its  sputum  is  to  be  dreaded,  as  it  has  a  very  offensive 
odor.  It  is  patient  and  docile  and  very  sensitive  to  abuse.  Indeed  it 
is  said  that  if  a  llama  is  harshly  spoken  to  or  the  whip  applied  it 
will  lie  down  and  cry  like  a  human  creature  and  in  extreme  cases 
die  of  grief  through  wounded  pride.  It  can  carry  a  load  of  from 
seventy-five  to  one  hundred  pounds,  but  if  its  strength  is  too  far 
taxed  it  sulks  and  refuses  to  move.  Likewise  it  reserves  the  right  to 
rest  when  it  thinks  it  has  proceeded  far  enough  at  a  time.  Like  the 
camel  of  the  Arabian  desert  it  can  go  without  food  for  many  days 
and  in  this  respect  is  most  serviceable  on  long  mountain  trips  when 
food  is  hard  to  be  obtained.  The  camel  has  been  called  ''the  ship 
of  the  desert."  The  llama  has  an  equal  right  to  be  styled  ''the  freight 
train  of  the  Andes."  Truly  the  llama  is  a  valuable  beast  and  has 
done  its  part  to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  country.  The  name  of 
the  animal  is  pronounced  as  if  spelt  y-a-m-a.  It  was  the  only 
beast  of  burden  of  the  Incas,  and  to  it  is  attributed  the  superiority 
of  this  dominant  race  in  the  past  and  their  complete  subjugation 
of  the  neighboring  tribes. 

The  alpaca,  another  animal  of  the  same  genus  peculiar  to  this 
region,  produces  the  finest  wool  in  the  world.  Experiments  have 
been  tried  to  introduce  it  into  other  countries,  but  without  success ; 
it  will  thrive  nowhere  else  than  here. 

A  sort  of  gazelle  named  the  vicufia,  with  long  silken  hair  of  a 
peculiar  lustre,  is  also  native  to  this  region.  Formerly  its  hair  or 
wool  was  woven  into  royal  robes  and  none  but  members  of  the 
imperial  families  was  allowed  to  wear  it.  At  present  much  of  the 
alpaca  wool  from  Arequipa  is  handled  by  American  firms  and 
shipped  to  New  York  and  Boston  for  manufacture. 

In  the  district  surrounding  Arequipa  are  several  local  industries 
including  cotton  factories  and  flour  mills.     It  is  beginning,  too,  to 


172  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

lay  claim  to  being  the  chief  mining  center  for  the  region  extending  up 
as  far  as  Lake  Titicaca.  The  rubber  industry  is  also  coming  to  the 
front,  and  on  the  whole  Arequipa  and  its  neighborhood  promises  to 
be  one  of  the  chief  commercial  locations,  an  emporium  of  a  world 
trade  that  will  have  a  great  influence  in  the  New  South  in  the 
years  to  come. 


CATHEDRAL  AND  PLAZA,  AREOUIPA 


A   BEAUTIFUL   FACADE,   AREQUIPA 


178 


CHAPTER  VIII 


ON  TO  THE  INCAN  CAPITAL 


CUZCO  OF  THE  PAST  AND  PRESENT 

We  left  Arequipa  in  the  early  morning  and  again  began  the  ascent 
of  the  bare,  bleak  hills,  by  way  of  the  Puno  and  Arequipa  Railroad, 
which  is  probably  the  most  expensive  ever  constructed — the  Oroya 
not  excepted — some  $44,000,000  having  been  spent  in  laying  the 
tracks,  a  cost  of  approximately  $135,000  for  every  mile,  as  the  whole 
length  of  the  road,  including  the  branch  line  from  Lake  Titicaca,  is 
only  about  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  miles. 

Owing  to  the  rarefied  air,  which  became  extremely  cool,  we  were 
soon  forced  to  put  on  our  overcoats  and  huddle  close  to  our  seats  • 
here  one  feels  the  breath  from  the  mighty  jaws  of  the  towering 
Andes ;  some  of  us  began  to  feel  a  little  giddy,  the  action  of  the  heart 
began  to  beat  quicker  and  a  sickening  sensation  followed,  such  as 
an  inexperienced  person  feels  in  a  heavy  sea  in  high  weather.  It 
was  the  dread  sorroche ;  again  it  had  us  in  its  grip.  My  head  com- 
menced to  ache  and  I  experienced  a  painful  throbbing  at  the  temples, 
while  objects  on  either  side  seemed  to  whirl  around  in  giddying 
gyrations.  I  apprehended  a  nosebleed,  but  fortunately  this  did  not 
occur.  After  a  while  nature  asserted  itself,  the  unpleasant  feeling 
passed  away  and  in  a  kind  of  way  I  became  adapted  to  the  sur- 
roundings. 

The  mountains  rising  higher  and  higher  looked  at  times  as  if 
hanging  over  the  train  as  the  cars  laboringly  crawled  up  the  steep 
inclines.  The  sides  of  these  mountains  looked  bare  and  uninviting 
and  at  this  elevation  seemed  composed  of  alternate  layers  of  rock  and 
baked  clay.  There  were  cavities  here  and  there,  giving  the  idea 
that  large  masses  had  been  torn  out  by  some  mighty  force  of  nature. 

At  intervals  valleys  presented  themselves  showing  where  the  hands 

175 


176  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

of  human  labor  had  irrigated  and  cultivated  them  to  bring  forth 
the  products  of  the  soil,  though  not  in  a  lavish  abundance.  We 
could  see  patches  of  barley,  potatoes  and  quinua  struggling  to  arrive 
at  maturity  about  the  scattered  huts  of  the  natives.  Barley  is  grown 
here  merely  as  a  forage  crop  for  the  animals.  The  quinua  is  a 
plant  perculiar  to  this  region  of  the  Andean  highlands ;  it  somewhat 
resembles  our  dockweed,  has  red  leaves  which  are  eaten  after  the 
manner  of  spinach,  and  the  white  seeds  when  boiled  in  milk  or 
water  form  a  mush  like  our  oatmeal ;  this  is  said  to  be  palatable  and 
wholesome.     It  is  one  of  the  hardiest  food  grains  in  the  world. 

At  a  higher  elevation  the  soil  improves  on  account  of  the  mois- 
ture from  the  clouds  that  continually  enwrap  the  mountainsides. 
The  grass  assumes  a  more  vivid  hue  and  looks  a  little  more  lus- 
cious for  grazing  purposes,  but  in  many  places  there  appeared  noth- 
ing save  sterility,  seemingly  no  herbage  whatever  to  sustain  animal 
life.  Yet  we  saw  herds  of  cattle,  flocks  of  llamas,  vicunas  and 
alpacas,  apparently  grazing  on  the  bare  soil.  Some  of  the  herds 
were  in  charge  of  Indian  women  wearing  coarse  blue  skirts  and  with 
broad-leaved  hats  on  their  heads.  There  were  a  few  huts  of  the 
herders  in  sight,  rough  structures,  composed  of  coarse  untrimmed 
stones  to  withstand  the  fury  of  the  blasts  which  occasionally  sweep 
with  great  violence  through  the  gorges  and  across  the  plateaus. 
There  were  also  some  corrals,  provided  for  the  little  cattle,  but  for 
the  most  part  these  hardy  animals  are  compelled  to  take  care  of 
themselves  as  best  they  can.  Water  is  here  obtained  from  springs  in 
the  soil ;  it  is  supposed  there  is  an  artesian  basin  in  this  neighbor- 
hood fed  from  Lake  Titicaca.  There  was  not  a  tree  in  sight.  The 
people  obtain  their  fuel  from  a  remarkable  plant  called  yareta,  which 
is  cauliflower-shaped  and  looks  as  if  it  grew  into  the  ground  instead 
of  out  of  it.  It  is  cut  out  and  dried  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of 
the  peat  from  the  bogs  in  the  remote  districts  of  Ireland.  The  drop- 
pings of  the  llama  are  also  used  for  making  fires. 

As  we  ascended  we  obtained  some  fine  views  of  the  peaks  of  El 
Misti  and  Ampato.  The  station  of  Sumbay  is  13,400  feet  above  the 
sea.  This  is  the  depot  for  the  famous  silver  mines  of  Cailloma, 
which  are  owned  and  operated  by  an  English  company.  Large  bags 
of  high  grade  ore  are  brought  here  on  the  backs  of  llamas.  On  an 
average  it  pays  $800  to  the  ton ;  most  of  it  is  shipped  to  Liverpool. 
Some  gold  is  also  mined,  and  this  is  sent  to  the  mint  at  Lima. 

At  a  height  of  about  13,500  feet  the  railway  passes  through  im- 
mense chalk  deposits,  interspersed  with  outcroppings  of  lava.    Then 


PATIO    OF    HOTEL    RATTI,    JULIACA,    SHOWING    AUTHOR'S 
ROOM 


INDIANS   DINING,    NATURE'S   "KNIVES   AND   FORKS" 


17T 


NATIVE    PORTERS,    CUZCO 


SMALL  INDIAN  SHOP,  CUZCO 


179 


wl\ter-jar  carriers,  cuzco 


QUAINT    SIGNS    OF    INDIAN    SHOPS 


181 


CITY  OF  THE  INCAS  18 

comes  hill  upon  hill  of  baked  clay,  giving  evidence  of  great  volcanic 
upheaval  from  interior  heat.  This  is  certainly  a  wonderland  for  the 
geologist,  presenting  specimens  almost  beyond  the  limit  of  classifica- 
tion. 

We  crossed  the  Grand  Divide  at  Crucero  Alto,  that  is,  High 
Cross  at  an  elevation  of  14,666  feet.  There  is  a  well-built  station 
here,  bearing  on  its  front  an  inscription  to  inform  the  traveler  that 
it  is  the  highest  point  on  the  railway.  Surrounding  it  is  a  collection 
of  adobe  huts ;  gazing  from  the  doors  of  some  of  the  hovels  were 
Indian  women,  unkempt,  unclean  and  wholly  repellent;  filthy,  almost 
nude  children  stood  around,  looking  on  the  scene  with  their  black 
shifting  eyes.  A  number  of  railroad  employees  have  their  dwellings 
at  this  place,  as  it  is  the  end  of  the  division. 

This,  the  highest  railway  town  in  the  world,  experiencec  ex- 
tremes in  temperature.  Water  freezes  every  night  in  the  year;  very 
often  the  thermometer  registers  ten  degrees  below  zero  in  the  night, 
while  at  noonday  the  sun  is  so  intensely  hot  as  to  blister  the  skin. 
The  natives  are  inured  to  these  changes.  At  night  and  in  the  cold 
mornings  they  wrap  themselves  in  blankets,  heavy  coats  and  thick 
ponchos,  but  when  the  sun  blazes  down  in  meridian  strength  a 
change  is  quickly  effected  to  thin  shirts,  light  cotton  waists  and  other 
flimsy  garments. 

From  Crucero  Alto  the  track  begins  to  descend  and  drops  into 
the  Lagunillas  or  lake  region  of  the  Cordilleras,  where  large  sheets 
of  cold,  pure  water  appear,  seemingly  without  inlet  or  outlet.  These 
lakes  keep  the  same  level  all  the  time,  regardless  of  rain  or  drought. 
One  of  the  largest  lies  adjacent  to  Saracocha. 

Those  of  us  who  were  bound  for  Cuzco  had  to  spend  the  night 
at  Juliaca,  the  train  going  on  to  Puno  on  Lake  Titicaca.  We  could 
not  make  a  change  to  the  branch  line,  which  runs  from  Juliaca  to 
Secuani  on  the  way  to  Cuzco,  until  the  following  morning.  The 
Hotel  Ratti  kept  us  for  the  night.  This  fonda  has  a  rather  sug- 
gestive name,  which  caused  some  of  the  facetiously  inclined  to  make 
allusive  comments  after  we  had  passed  the  night  there.  As  for  my- 
self I  found  that  if  the  suggestive  rodents  were  wanting  they 
ha^  fair  representatives  in  the  bugjiner-that  were  not  at  all  back- 
ward in  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  guests.  The  building  is 
a  wooden  one  standing  in  a  broad  plaza.  The  cuisine  was  execrable. 
The  food  was  simply  impossible,  potato  soup  being  the  chief  feature ; 
the  rest  of  the  menu  comprised  sardines  and  eggs  of  suspicious  age. 

When  we  came  out  from  this  hostelry,  we  found  the  plaza  full  of 


184  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Indians,  sitting  in  rows  with  their  faces  toward  the  sun,  now  climb- 
ing up  the  arch  of  the  eastern  sky.  Be  it  noted  that  these  Indians 
still  retain  many  of  the  superstitions  of  their  race;  they  are  nom- 
inally Catholics,  but  traces  of  the  old  sun-worship  of  Peru  may  still 
be  observed  in  their  manners,  customs  and  rites. 

Passing  through  the  crowd  we  made  our  way  to  the  station.  Our 
journey  toward  the  Incan  capital  was  resumed,  that  part  of  it  still 
before  us  being  anticipated  with  more  or  less  gloomy  foreboding 
after  our  late  experiences.  We  found,  however,  that  our  apprehen- 
sions were  magnified,  for  we  had  little  of  the  discomforts  or  incon- 
veniences we  had  imagined  were  in  store  for  us. 

The  line  from  Juliaca  to  Secuani,  the  terminus  of  the  railroad, 
runs  along  a  valley  by  the  side  of  the  river  Vilcamayu.  The 
country  looked  fertile  enough.  There  were  fields  of  wheat  and 
potatoes  and  other  crops,  and  on  the  grass-lands  herds  of  llamas 
and  vicufias. 

We  made  a  stop  at  Checacupe,  a  place  the  name  of  w^hich 
might  be  changed  by  a  little  metathesis  and  phonetic  arrange- 
ment into  ''chicken-coop,"  an  appellation  which,  on  the  whole, 
would  not  be  inappropriate  in  describing  it.  The  air  here  became 
so  brisk  and  cold  that  I  actually  shivered  as  I  gazed  away  to 
the  snow-clad  peaks  in  the  distance,  some  of  them  rising  to  a 
height  of  three  and  four  miles  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

We  saw  groups  of  Indians  in  curious  make-up,  the  women 
wearing  large  felt  hats  vs^ith  silk  curtains  at  the  sides  and  braids 
of  gold  lace  on  the  top,  a  reminiscence  of  the  barbaric  splendor 
of  the  past.  As  a  contrast  to  these  there  were  several  Indian 
beggars,  repulsive  in  the  extreme,  little  indeed  like  what  one  would 
expect  in  the  descendants  of  the  proud  and  wealthy  Incas. 

As  we  descended,  the  climate  became  milder.  Fruits  from 
the  beautiful  valley  of  Cuzco  could  be  bought  at  the  stations ; 
these  included  oranges,  pomegranates,  paltas,  and  pineapples. 
Along  the  roads  could  be  seen  trains  of  the  patient,  burden- 
bearing  llamas  on  their  way  to  the  capital. 

Secuani,  w^here  the  railway  ends,  is  a  place  of  little  interest,  so 
we  did  not  tarry  long.  From  here  the  remainder  of  the  journey, 
about  ninety  miles,  was  made  by  mule  coach.  Doubtless  there 
will  soon  be  a  railroad  all  the  way  to  Cuzco  and  then  it  may 
be  marked  as  a  place  of  some  importance  on  the  maps.  At 
present  the  journey  from  Secuani  would  be  very  difficult,  in 
fact,  impossible,  were  it  not  for  a  road  which  was  constructed 


HKlUA 


QUICHUA    WOMAN   WITH    liAJiV 


INCAN  FOUNTAIN  AND   vV  A  I  hK-CARRlERS 


185 


INCAN   WALL,   CUZCO 


'SEATS    OF    THE    INCAS,"    OVERLOOKING    SACSAHUAMAN 
FORTRESS 


187 


CITY  OF  THE  KNCAS  18^ 

by  an  Irishman  named  Hawley.  This  road  in  places  passes 
through  an  open  valley,  winds  around  steep  passes,  or  follows 
the  defiles  between  the  mountains.  On  the  whole,  this  part  of 
the  route  was  uncomfortable  and  unpleasant,  but  every  journey 
conies  to  an  end.  At  length  we  reached  a  wide,  open  plain  and 
looking  toward  the  farther  side  of  this  level  stretch  we  beheld  a 
welcome  sight.  Rising  on  the  spur  of  a  hill,  with  its  roofs  and 
domes  and  spires  and  walls  flashing  in  the  sunlight,  we  saw  the 
modern  town  which  stands  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Cuzco — 
Cuzco  of  the  Incas,  the  Imperial  City,  and  the  city  sacred  to 
the  Indian  world  of  South  America.  All  the  discomforts  of  the 
journey  were  discounted  in  the  reality  that  we  had  arrived  at 
this,  the  one-time  capital  and  the  Mecca  of  an  historic  race. 

Surely  it  is  something  to  look  upon  this  spot  so  replete  with 
memories,  so  eloquent  of  the  past,  so  rich  in  historic  association. 
In  the  time  of  the  Incas  those  who  had  visited  Cuzco  were 
regarded  as  far  superior  to  those  who  had  not.  In  our  time  the 
traveler  who  has  visited  Cuzco  is  allowed  forgiveness  if  he  boasts 
a  little  about  the  fact  that  he  has  been  there. 

What  memories  it  reveals,  what  a  glamour  of  the  Past  hangs 
around  it  which  the  Present  can  never  take  away !  The  sight 
of  it  captivates  and  thrills  with  the  feeling  one  experiences  when 
first  entering  in  reality  into  a  place  which  the  pages  of  history 
have  made  familiar  to  all. 

Here  I  am  tempted  to  delve  into  the  Past  and  trace  the  march 
of  the  freebooting  Spanish  conquistador,  from  the  coast  over  the 
mountains,  down  the  valleys ;  but  I  am  not  writing  a  history, 
and  at  any  rate  every  schoolboy  nowadays  is  more  or  less  ac- 
quainted with  the  Conquest  of  Peru.  Prescott,  the  blind  his- 
torian, has  told  the  story,  and  told  it  well.  The  main  features, 
however,  still  bear  recapitulation. 

When  the  Spaniards  arrived  in  the  sixteenth  century  the  Inca 
dynasty  had  been  flourishing  for  centuries.  When  it  com- 
menced it  is  impossible  to  determine,  for  myth,  legend,  story  and 
tradition  have  woven  such  a  glamour  of  romance  around  Incan 
origin  that  no  one  can  pick  from  beneath  it  any  reliable  details. 
The  glamour  also  covered  the  entire  country  until  indubitable  evi- 
dence in  the  way  of  archaeological  remains  was  unearthed  to 
clear  a  good  part  of  it  away  and  throw  light  on  the  long-gone 
past.  It  is  now  known  that  Peru  had  a  very  ancient  civilization. 
I    have  referred    to  it  in  Chapter  IV  as  antedating    that  of  many 


190  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

of  the  oldest  known  lands  of  Biblical  and  historic  fame.  Hun- 
dreds, yea,  thousands  of  years  before  Incan  majesty  reared  its 
head  above  the  walls  of  ancient  Cuzco  there  was  a  race  in  Peru 
which  had  emerged  from  the  darkness  of  barbaric  ignorance  into 
the  white  light  of  knowledge.  The  Chimus  were  very  early  in- 
habitants of  the  country,  but  even  before  them  a  people  held 
sway  whose  origin  must  ever  remain  shrouded  in  the  mist  of 
the  world's  morning  time.  Several  distinguished  scientists  and 
ethnologists  believe  that  in  prehistoric  ages  before  the  northern 
steppes  of  Asia  were  peopled  a  wave  of  Asiatic  immigration 
rolled  over  the  Pacific  to  the  west  coast  of  South  America.  Leg- 
end makes  mention  of  a  hero  named  Naymlop  who  commanded  a 
fleet  of  rafts  from  ''China  to  Peru." 

The  beginning  of  the  Incan  era,  ancient  as  it  appears  to  us 
now,  was  recent  in  comparison  with  the  first  settlement  of  the 
country.  Probably  the  dynasty  had  flourished  more  than  five 
hundred  years  when  the  Spaniards  swooped  down  on  Peru.  This 
would  place  the  beginning  some  time  in  the  eleventh  century. 
Of  course,  the  origin  of  the  royal  race  is  lost  in  legendary  ob- 
scurity. There  are  several  legends,  each  of  which  has  its  coun- 
terpart with  variations  in  the  folklore  of  other  lands.  According 
to  the  most  popular,  the  earth  had  been  dark  for  a  long  time 
when  Inti,  the  Sun-god,  rose  from  a  rock  in  Lake  Titicaca,  and 
calling  to  him  his  children,  Manco  Capac  and  Mama  Occlo, 
brother  and  sister,  he  gav-e  them  instructions  to  go  forth  and 
educate  mankind.  Manco  and  Mama,  who  had  become  man  and 
wife,  undertook  the  mission  and  appeared  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Titicaca,  proclaiming  themselves  ''Children  of  the  Sun,"  and  an- 
nouncing they  had  come  to  teach  the  savage  Indians  the  arts  and 
industries  for  which  they  would  claim  their  allegiance  in  return. 
Mama  was  to  teach  the  Indian  women  spinning  and  weaving, 
while  Manco  was  to  occupy  himself  in  giving  the  men  instruc- 
tions in  agricultural  pursuits  and  everything  connected  with  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  They  carried  a  disk  of  gold  which  was  to 
determine  the  site  of  the  place  where  they  were  to  erect  a  temple 
wherein  to  worship  their  deity,  and  from  which  to  rule  their  sub- 
jects. Wherever  this  golden  emblem  sank  into  the  earth  when 
cast  from  the  hand  would  denote  the  spot  of  selection. 

It  chanced  that  the  wedge  sank  where  Cuzco  was  afterward 
built.  Thus  did  this  place  become  the  seat  of  the  royal  race  and 
Manco   Capaca   the  first   Inca,   with   Mama-Occlo   his   "Coya,"   or 


# ~ii 

:''^^rr^^^^^ 

A  SPANISH  DOORWAY,   CUZCO 


TERRACE    OF     COLCOMPATA,     BEHEADING    STONE     IN 
FOREGROUND 


191 


MAIN    ENTRANCE.    SACSAHUAMAN    FORTRESS 


GENERAL   VIEW   OF   SACSAHUAMAN 


193 


ANOTHER   VIEW   OF   SACSAHUAMAN 


ONE  OF  THE  SALIENTS,   SACSAHUAMAN 

195 


CITY  OF  THE  INCAS  197 

Queen.  A  great  house,  or  Temple  of  the  Sun,  was  built,  the  most 
costly,  most  gorgeous  and  most  imposing  building  erected  in 
the  Western  Hemisphere  until  that  time.  From  traditions  and 
the  accounts  handed  down  through  the  centuries,  we  learn  that 
its  splendors,  its  richness,  its  capacity  were  such  as  to  baffle  mod- 
ern description  and  much  beyond  the  belief  of  the  most  credu- 
lous. It  is  said  to  have  been  twelve  hundred  feet  square,  with 
great  high  walls  of  exquisitely  dressed  stone,  and  with  enclosed 
courts,  gardens,  shrines  and  various  halls  and  great  rooms  for 
receptions,  entertainments  and  religious  ceremonies.  Spanish 
authorities  tell  us  that  the  cornices  of  the  outside  walls  were  of 
solid  gold,  and  that  the  inside  surfaces  were  lined  with  gold 
plate  inscribed  with  the  most  artistic  designs.  The  enclosed 
garden,  600  feet  by  300  feet,  was  ornamented,  we  are  informed, 
with  figures  of  men,  animals,  birds,  reptiles  and  insects  in  nat- 
ural size,  fashioned  out  of  the  precious  metal. 

Inside  the  Temple  was  a  great  golden  image  of  the  sun,  a  cir- 
cular face,  set  in  emeralds  and  turquoises,  and  with  representa- 
tions of  rays  of  fire  emanating  from  it.  As  the  temple  faced  the 
East  the  first  beams  of  the  morning  fell  upon  the  image,  causing 
it  to  shine  and  scintillate  with  a  dazzling  brilliancy.  Until  the 
Conquest  the  mummies  of  the  dead  Incas,  wonderfully  em- 
balmed, sat  upon  golden  chairs  placed  on  golden  slabs  facing 
the  celestial  representation ;  these,  when  the  spoilers  came  along, 
were  taken  away  by  the  Indians  and  hidden  where  they  could  not 
be  found  by  the  looters.  Needless  to  say  the  Spaniards  made 
short  work  of  stripping  the  Temple  of  its  gold  and  ornaments 
and  precious  stones.  The  palaces  of  the  Incas  were  also  beauti- 
ful and  immense  buildings,  laid  out  with  an  architectural  genius 
that  has  called  forth  the  envy  of  modern  times.  It  is  said  that 
each  Inca  erected  a  new  palace  at  Cuzco  more  beautiful  and 
gorgeous  than  those  of  his  predecessors.  Volumes  have  been 
written  about  these  palaces.  Their  ruins  certainly  testify  to 
the  skill  of  this  people  as  master  builders.  The  huge  stones  were 
so  well  cut  and  dressed  and  laid  together  so  closely  that  after 
a  lapse  of  four  centuries  the  interstices  between  them  can 
scarcely  be  detected.  As  in  the  case  of  the  Pyramids,  it  is  somewhat 
of  a  mystery  how  these  cyclopean  structures  were  erected  at 
this  time.  Many  of  the  immense  blocks  are  more  than  twenty 
feet  long  and  from  five  to  eight  feet  thick.  The  mystery  intensi- 
fies when  it  is  taken  into  consideration  that  these  massive  stones 


198  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

had  to  be  brought  many  miles  from  the  quarries  to  Cuzco. 
With  none  of  the  machinery  utiUzed  by  modern  workmen  at 
their  command,  how  did  the  natives  quarry  these  immense  blocks 
and  then  transport  them  such  a  distance  over  the  rough  moun- 
tain trails?  Parts  of  the  Incan  walls  remain  to-day  as  solid  as 
when  they  were  laid,  reminding  us  of  the  adamantine  stability 
which  characterizes  the  foundations  of  Old  Rome.  Present- 
time  explorers  marvel  at  the  colossal  greatness  of  these  walls 
and  the  skill  displayed  in  their  erection. 

In  the  palaces  of  the  Incas,  we  are  told,  were  golden  thrones, 
golden  chairs,  golden  ornaments,  and  even  the  pots  and  pans 
were  made  of  the  virgin  ore.  Indeed,  if  the  accounts 
handed  down  are  to  be  taken  with  any  serious  credibility,  we  are 
to  conclude  that  the  splendor  and  magnificence  of  the  Inca  dy- 
nasty must  have  outrivaled  the  grandeur  and  richness  of  Israel 
in  the  heyday  of  its  glory.  Even  the  boasted  wealth  of  Babylon 
and  Nineveh,  Carthage  and  Damascus  would  have  to  take  in- 
ferior rank.  We  of  the  present  day,  however,  are  inclined  to  be 
a  little  skeptical.  We  take  these  descriptions,  not  as  fabrications 
but  as  forgivable  exaggerations,  and  reserve  to  ourselves  the 
right  to  pass  upon  them  in  the  light  of  our  own  credulity. 

That  the  Incas  were  possessed  of  great  wealth,  however,  is 
certain,  wealth  that  aroused  the  cupidity  of  that  dark  prince  of 
pirates,  Francisco  Pizarro,  the  Spanish  adventurer,  and  caused 
him  and  his  companions  to  undergo  the  most  awful  difficulties  and 
hardships  to  reach  the  El  Dorado  of  which  he  had  heard  such 
extravagant  tales. 

The  glory  and  the  greatness,  the  power  and  the  prestige  of 
the  wonderful  race  ended  when  the  dare-devil  freebooter  scaled 
the  western  slope  of  the  Andes  and  swooped  down  upon  the  rich 
valley.  He  captured  Atahualpa,  the  Incan  emperor,  whom  he 
afterward  butchered,  and  planted  the  banner  of  Old  Castile  upon 
the  fortress  of  Cuzco. 

It  is  stated  that  Atahualpa  when  captured  offered  as  a  ransom 
such  an  enormous  quantity  of  gold  plate,  jewels  and  ornaments 
that  it  was  sufficient  to  fill  a  room  22  feet  long,  17  feet  wide  and 
9  feet  high,  and  that  his  brother  offered  twice  as  much.  The  first 
offer  was  accepted,  but  although  the  unfortunate  Inca  turned 
over  to  Pizarro  a  sum  estimated  by  Prescott  at  $15,000,000,  his 
life  was  finally  taken  by  the  Conqueror,  who  was  really  afraid 
to  release  him. 


MASSIVE  STONE,  SACSAHUAMAN,  AUTHOR 


CYCLOPEAN   WAJ.L,   PALACE   OF  INCA  ROCCA,   CUZCO 


INCAN   WALL,   SHOWING   SNAKE   ORNAMENT.   CUZCO 


'LITTLE   ROSITA,"   AT    12-SIDED   STONE,    CUZCO 


2U1 


CITY  OF  THE  INCAS  205 

When  Pizarro  and  his  cavaliers  reached  the  table-lands  of 
Peru,  lured  on  by  the  lust  of  gold  and  the  fabulous  stories  they 
had  heard  of  immense  treasures  in  the  keeping  of  the  strange 
and  wonderful  race,  they  found  an  organized  government  and  a 
much  higher  civilization  than  they  imagined  could  exist  in  such 
an  out-of-the-way  and  unknown  land.  As  to  Incan  government 
and  civilization  let  us  here  quote  from  Squier :  "Under  the  In- 
cas,"  he  writes,  ''there  was  a  better  government,  better  protection 
for  life,  and  better  facilities  for  the  pursuit  of  happiness  than 
hvive  existed  since  the  Spanish  Conquest  or  do  exist  to-day.  The 
material  prosperity  of  the  country  was  far  in  advance  of  what  it 
now  is.  There  were  greater  facilities  in  intercourse,  a  wider  agri- 
culture, less  pauperism  and  vice,  and — shall  I  say  it? — a  purer  and 
more  useful  religion." 

When  Pizarro  arrived  Atahualpa  was  reigning  over  a  terri- 
tory more  than  a  million  square  miles  in  area,  a  territory  which 
now  takers  in  parts  of  Ecuador  and  Bolivia,  as  well  as  Peru.  He 
ruled  in  kingly  splendor,  in  a  regal  glory  unparalleled  perhaps 
since  or  before  in  the  world's  history,  if  we  are  to  put  faith  in 
the  accounts  which  have  come  down  to  us  of  the  magnificence 
and  wealth  of  the  country  at  that  time.  Many  a  bloody  quarrel 
the  Spaniards  had  among  themselves  over  his  treasures,  but  it 
is  not  for  me  to  touch  upon  the  Conquest  and  its  aftermath. 
Abler  pens  than  mine  have  dealt  with  these  subjects.  The  story 
at  best  is  but  a  black  and  bloody  one  of  ravished  homes,  of  pil- 
lage, of  loot,  and  of  murder. 

The  site  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  is  now  occupied  by  the  mon- 
astery of  Santo  Domingo,  where  may  be  seen  a  part  of  the  wall 
which  the  Spaniards  did  not  destroy  in  the  time  of  Pizarro, 
minus,  of  course,  the  gold  and  ornamentation.  The  masonry  is 
of  singular  beauty,  the  stones  smooth  polished  and  laid  together 
so  skilfully  that  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  detect  where  they 
join. 

The  Garden  of  the  Sun  is  now  the  monastery  garden.  At  pres- 
ent the  church,  with  its  cloisters  and  grounds,  covers  a  consider- 
able area.  What  a  place  this  must  have  been  in  the  time  of 
Incan  splendor,  this  Mecca  of  the  race,  this  spring  from  which 
welled  its  civilization  and  religion ! 

The  convent  of  Santa  Catalina  is  now  situated  on  what  was 
the  Accla-Huasi,  or  House  of  the  Virgins  of  the  Sun,  where  fifteen 
hundred  maidens  of  the  royal  Inca  blood  were  kept  in  strict  se- 


206  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

elusion.  It  seems  somewhat  appropriate  that  the  spot  should  at 
present  be  in  possession  of  a  cloistered  sisterhood. 

In  line  with  this  convent,  on  the  south  side  of  Cathedral 
Square,  is  the  Church  of  the  Jesuits,  once  the  palace  of  the  Inca, 
Huayna  Capac.  The  north  facade  is  of  red  sandstone  artistically 
arranged ;  the  cloister  occupies  the  site  of  the  house  in  which 
Pizarro  took  up  his  residence. 

The  Cathedral  fronting  on  the  square  is  on  the  ground  where 
stood  one  of  the  great  entertainment  halls  of  the  Incas,  and  the 
one  in  which  the  Spaniards  encamped  when  they  entered  Cuzco. 
There  were  four  of  these  halls  in  different  locations,  all  of  them 
of  huge  masonry,  the  ruins  of  which  may  be  seen  in  great  facades 
of  black  polished  stone.  The  cathedral  is  a  spacious  building 
with  two  solid  towers ;  the  altars  are  adorned  with  the  usual  gold 
and  silver  ornaments,  candelabra  and  statuary  which  make  these 
South  American  churches  perfect  treasure  houses  of  ecclesiasti- 
cal furnishings.  The  communion  rail  is  pointed  out  at  which 
the  freebooting  Pizarro  knelt  to  receive  the  sacrament  after 
being  absolved  from  his  sins,  probably  by  his  brother  in  cruelty 
and  craft,  the  oily  Valverde.  There  is  a  picture  of  this  monk 
in  the  sacristy  dressed  in  his  robes  and  vestments  as  the  first 
bishop  of  Cuzco.  Fray  Vincente  de  Valverde  was  the  evil  spirit 
of  the  Conquest.  As  is  well  known,  he  was  present  at  the  as- 
sassination of  Atahualpa  and  his  followers,  and  encouraged  the 
awful  massacre.  'T  absolve  you !  I  absolve  you !  On,  on,  Cas- 
tilians !"  he  roared,  as  Pizarro  and  his  cut-throats  fell  upon  the 
unsuspecting  Inca  and  his  band.  Thousands  perished  in  the  fear- 
ful butchery  of  that  terrible  day,  and  to  a  great  extent  the  monk, 
Valverde  was  responsible. 

The  Fortress  Hill,  overlooking  Cuzco,  is  called  the  Sacsahua- 
man.  A  steep  and  rocky  zigzag  trail  leads  up  to  this  hill,  on 
the  brow  of  which  stands  a  gigantic  cross.  The  great  walls 
which  surrounded  the  fortress  are  broken  down  in  many  places, 
the  stones  having  been  removed  to  help  build  the  Spanish 
churches.  In  some  places  these  walls  were  eighteen  feet  thick, 
formed  of  massive  rocks  at  the  base.  Probably  in  all  the  world 
there  was  no  masonry  so  solid  as  this,  or  none  so  beautiful  in 
the  symmetrical  regularity  with  which  the  stones  were  laid. 
Some  authorities  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  fortress  walls  were 
of  pre-Incan  time. 

From  this  hill  splendid  views  are  obtained  of  the  town  and  the 


i              1W 

m 

r 

1  i  < 

1                     M^ 

K 

^1 

^ 

u 

P 

'         «x 

^"^  .,.w 

mm 

VISHBP 

p* 

X 

^1. 

l^L  >    "^ 

r..  _ 

^..:r- ..-    r 

■B' 

^^O 

fl 

^^L.-^j^ 

i^^i 

-.-^ii2^ 

.:JM 

AUTHOR,   PLAZA  DEL   CABILDO,   CUZCO 


PLAZA  AND  MARKET.  FROM  CATHEDRAL  STEPS,  CUZCO 


207 


CATHEDRAL    AND    LA    COMPANIA    CHURCH,    MAIN    PLAZA, 
CUZCO 


JESUIT   CHURCH   AND   UNIVERSITY,    CUZCO 


209 


-"  5   . 


SAXTO   DOMTNGO   CHURCH,   SITE  OF   SUN   TEMJM.i:,   CL'ZCO 


CLOISTERS    OF    SANTO    DOMINGO     CHURCH 


211 


CORNER    CROSS    NEAR    SANTO    DOMINGO    CHURCH,    CUZCO 


MARKET  SCENE  BEFORE  CATHEDRAL,   CUZCO 


818 


CITY  OF  THE  INCAS  215 

valley  lying  beyond,  as  well  as  of  the  mountains.  Standing  on 
this  mighty  landmark  of  the  Past  it  was  delightful  to  hear  the 
reverberations  of  the  church  bells  floating  out  on  the  clear  rare- 
fied air.  To  me  their  brazen  music,  softened  by  distance  and  the 
thin  atmosphere,  sounded  like  the  tremolo  of  celestial  instruments 
attuned  to  a  heavenly  harmony.  ''Father  Prout"*  thought  the 
bells  of  Shandon  the  sweetest  in  the  world,  and  he  immortalized 
them  in  undying  verse.  Were  I  a  poet  I  would  choose  the  bells 
of  Cuzco  for  a  theme.  I  have  "heard  bells  chimin',  full  many  a 
clime  in,"  I  have  heard  their  notes  pealing  from  the  gorgeous 
turrets  and  towers  of  the  famed  Cathedrals  of  Europe,  I  have 
listened  to  their  mellow  tones  in  Mohammedan  lands,  when  the 
voice  of  the  Muezzin  called  the  faithful  to  prayer  as  the  sun 
rolled  his  golden  wheel  down  the  arch  of  the  west,  and  I  have 
stood  on  the  sun-baked  sands  of  India  captured  in  spirit  by  the 
melodious  sounds  rolling  and  reverberating  and  echoing  like  the 
discharge  of  artillery  on  the  still  calm  air  of  the  sultry  evening. 
I  have  heard  ''tintinnabulations"  north,  south,  east  and  west,  but 
never  have  I  heard  such  sounds  as  those  which  came  to  my  ears 
while  standing  on  the  fortress  of  Sacsahuaman,  Their  notes 
thrilled  my  soul,  ravished  my  ears,  entranced  my  senses  with  a 
music  that  truly  might  be  called  divine.  How  I  wished  those 
bells  could  have  spoken,  that  their  tones  might  be  interpreted 
in  the  living  language  of  the  present !  What  tales  they  could 
tell,  what  memories  evoke,  what  secrets  unfold,  what  a  history 
reveal, — sad,  sinful,  glad,  glorious,  pathetic,  pitiful,  sorrowful, 
sublime ! 

xA.t  any  rate,  they  recalled  memories  of  other  days.  In  fact, 
everything  here  recalls  memories.  The  ghosts  of  the  past  will 
not  down,  we  cannot  shake  them,  they  start  up  before  us  at 
every  turn  in  this  historic  land.  Try  as  one  may,  while  in  Cuzco 
he  cannot  forget  the  past,  his  thoughts  go  back  in  spite  of  him- 
self. In  this  respect  it  resembles  Rome;  we  know  we  are  stand- 
ing on  historic  ground,  and  imagination  calls  up  the  by-gone  to 
such  a  degree  that  we  overlook,  in  fact,  ignore  the  present. 

What  a  panorama  presented  itself  as  we  looked  toward  the  town ! 
There  were  the  red-tiled  roofs  rising  against  the  background  of 
the  green,  sloping,  dreamy  foothills,  reminding  one  of  some  en- 
chanted scene  from  a  world  of  fantastic  visions.    And  the  trails 

*Rev.   Francis  Mahony,  Cork,   Ireland,  author  of  "The  Bells  of  Shandon" 
and  other  beautiful  poems. 


216  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

leading  this  way  and  that  way,  in  places  hiding  themselves  from 
sight,  to  appear  again  in  sinuous  windings,  creeping  around  the 
hills  and  up  the  steep  inclines,  silently  called  to  mind  the  van- 
ished days  when  probably  they  were  pressed  by  the  feet  of  Incan 
hordes,  rushing  from  the  terrors  that  surrounded  them,  for 
through   here    extended    the    'Tnca    Highway"    leading   to    Quito, 

The  sights  that  the  fortress  afforded  and  the  memories  they 
called  forth,  surely  compensated  us  for  the  weary  climb  over 
rough  roads  we  had  to  undergo  before  reaching  the  summit. 

Though  Peru  was  a  land  rich  beyond  comparison  in  gold  and 
silver,  precious  stones  and  other  rare  ornaments,  money  was  not 
in  circulation  among  the  Indians,  they  did  not  use  anything  as  a 
ratio  of  value,  or  a  barter  of  exchange.  Neither  did  they  know 
the  art  of  writing,  not  even  any  kind  of  hieroglyphics  being  used 
as  a  means  of  communication.  I  remember  seeing  in  the  museum 
at  Lima  a  few  quipus  or  knotted  fringes  of  various  colors  used 
in  counting.  They  had  prayer-sticks  which  they  employed  in 
their  sun-worship.  They  had  a  soul  for  music  and  had  many 
instruments  upon  which  they  played,  including  reed-pipes,  flutes, 
drums,  bells,  rattles  and  cymbals. 

Besides  architecture  they  were  skilled  in  other  arts,  especially 
in  weaving,  which  they  highly  developed ;  they  constructed  im- 
plements with  which  they  turned  out  very  intricate  and  beautiful 
work  in  the  way  of  colored  mats,  shawls,  ponchos  and  fancy 
cloths.  The  fine  wool  of  the  vicufia  offered  them  a  good  material. 
Even  modern  artists  copy  the  designs  of  the  ponchos  worn  by 
the  Inca  Indians. 

Their  descendants  still  weave  their  own  garments,  but  they 
are  not  nearly  so  adept  at  the  art  as  were  their  progenitors. 
Along  the  waysides  you  can  see  men  and  women  spinning  as 
they  walk,  using  coarse  needles  and  crude  frames  for  the  work. 
They  are  very  fond  of  gaudy  colors  which  they  obtain  by  the  use 
of  aniline  dyes. 

The  modern  Cuzco  appeals  strongly  to  the  visitor.  Here  one 
sees  the  life  of  the  country  in  its  varied  aspects,  especially  in  and 
around  the  old  Plaza  where  the  market  is  held.  I  have  never 
seen  a  duplicate  of  this  place  anywhere  else.  It  is  peculiarly  in- 
dicative of  the  manners,  customs  and  callings  of  the  natives  of 
to-day.  Here  were  Indian  women  coming  and  going,  carrying 
fruits,  in  gay  colored  blankets  upon  their  shoulders.  Some,  when 
they  came  into  the  market,  squatted  upon  the  ground  and  spread 


'  e       »      e  »       •    • 


r^^ 


LA     MERCED    CllL'KCil    FROM     llOTKi.    DKL    COMMERCIO, 

cuzco 


COURT  OF   LA  MERCED   MONASTERY 


2ir 


ARCADE    AND    BALCONIES.    MAIN    SQUARE,    CUZCO 


PICTURESQUE    SPANISH    GA ,  !. 


A  PICTURESQUE  PATIO,  CUZCO 


IN  P^RONT  OF  HOTEL  DEL  COMMERCIO 


221 


CITY  OF  THE  INCAS  223 

out  their  wares  before  them  on  old  shawls,  selling  them  by  the 
piece  or  pile.  It  was  a  lively  crowd.  The  men  talking  and 
laughing,  bargaining  and  selling  seemed  to  be  in  the  best  of  spir- 
its, without  a  care  in  the  world.  Their  gaudy  colored  ponchos 
against  the  surrounding  arcades  lent  a  charm  and  brightened  up 
the  scene.  The  Quichua  language,  the  soft  native  tongue  of  the 
Cholos,  the  half-caste  people,  sounded  pleasing  and  euphonious. 
Though  accustomed  all  their  lives  to  hearing  Spanish,  they  do 
not  speak  it,  so  we  had  some  difficulty  in  making  them  under- 
stand us  when  we  addressed  them  in  that  language.  As  we 
walked  around  we  noticed  piles  of  what  looked  like  pink  and 
white  marbles.  These  were  frozen  potatoes  called  Chuno,  a  fa- 
vorite dish  of  the  natives  and  considered  a  delicatessen.  There 
were  many  other  kinds  of  vegetables,  and  though  the  town  is 
situated  two  miles  above  sea-level  the  market  is  generally  filled 
with  tropical  and  semi-tropical  fruits,  from  the  Santa  Anna  and 
other  fertile  valleys  in  the  lowlands.  Among  the  many  varieties 
of  fruits  on  sale  we  noticed  fine  large  oranges,  fresh  pineapples, 
succulent  paltas,  fat  figs,  luscious  pomegranates,  yellowish  sapo- 
tas  and  cherimozas. 

The  ladies  of  the  town  come  early  to  buy  the  day's  provisions. 
They  are  handsome  senoras  for  the  most  part,  and  very  well 
dressed  in  long  trailing  skirts,  and  with  their  heads  and  shoulders 
draped  in  black  manias.  They  are  of  Spanish  blood,  but  many 
have  an  Indian  strain  which  shows  in  their  dark  eyes,  black  hair 
and  olive  faces.  Nearly  all  speak  the  Quichua  language,  learn- 
ing it  from  servants,  so  as  to  be  able  to  converse  with  the  natives 
and  do  their  own  marketing.  Each  of  them  is  followed  by  an 
attendant  with  a  large  basket  to  carry  home  the  purchases. 

Babies  in  the  market  are  almost  as  numerous  as  the  fruits, 
crying  and  crawling  in  and  out  among  the  wares  or  blinkingly 
looking  out  with  curious  eyes  from  the  folds  of  old  ponchos  to 
see  what  their  mothers  are  doing.  I  do  not  know  whether  babies 
are  sold  and  bought — I  suppose  not — but  it  seemed  to  me  that  from 
among  so  many  a  few  could  be  readily  spared  and  never  missed. 

I  have  mentioned  a  few  of  the  churches  of  Cuzco.  Most  of 
the  other  buildings  are  interesting  from  many  standpoints.  The 
style  of  architecture  is  quaint  in  nearly  all.  There  are  over- 
hanging balconies  which  the  Spaniards  patterned  after  their  na- 
tive Castile.  Some  of  the  houses  have  immense  courts  and  great 
front  doors  almost  like  gates  to  a  large  city.     Here  and  there  are 


224  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

street  shrines,  for  Cuzco  has  many  fiesta  days,  when  the  church 
turns  out  her  processions  with  great  pomp  and  ceremony.  But 
as  I  have  elsewhere  hinted,  it  is  very  doubtful  if  Christianity 
has  taken  a  deep  hold  on  these  children  of  the  Andean  valleys, 
whether  the  Cross  influences  their  lives  and  actions  as  much  as 
the  worship  of  the  sun  did  their  ancestors. 

During  my  stay  in  Cuzco  I  put  up  at  the  Hotel  del  C  om- 
ercio,  the  Commercial  Hotel,  which  name  is  rather  superfluous, 
as  it  is  the  only  one  in  the  place,  commercial  or  otherwise.  It 
is  a  big  caravanserai,  formerly  a  monastery,  and  has  a  large 
courtyard  surrounded  by  arched  stone  balconies.  The  rooms, 
which  are  very  well  furnished,  open  on  these  balconies  and  so 
the  ventilation  is  good.  The  accommodation  was  also  very  good. 
Early  in  the  morning  a  Mozo  brought  up  a  dish  of  chocolate 
and  bread  to  my  room.  This  early  meal  is  known  as  desayuno. 
The  chocolate,  which  is  rich  and  sweet,  is  made  from  native 
cacao.  Breakfast,  called  ahnuerzo,  was  served  at  half  past  eleven 
and  dinner,  or  comida,  at  six.  The  eatables  were  the  usual  dishes 
of  the  country  and  were  very  well  cooked  and  palatable. 

To-day  Cuzco  is  but  the  shadow  of  its  former  greatness.  In 
the  time  of  the  Incas  it  had  a  population  of  between  two  hundred 
and  three  hundred  thousand.  At  the  present  time  there  are  not 
more  than  twenty  tiiousand  inhabitants.  Despite  the  fact  that  it 
is  one  of  the  highest  towns  in  the  world,  it  is  very  unsanitary. 
The  Indians  are  so  filthy,  lead  such  unclean  lives  and  live  so 
wretchedly,  disregarding  all  the  laws  of  hygiene,  that  they  would 
die  by  the  hundreds  were  it  not  for  the  high  altitude  of  the  place 
and  the  breezes  from  the  mountains  which  carry  away  the  miasma 
and  bacteria. 

Rather  reluctantly  we  left  this  old  place  with  its  haunting 
memories  and  turned  to  other  scenes. 


STRANGE    COMPANIONS,    CUZCO 


AGAIN  IN  COMPANY,  CUZCO 


LLAMAS    IN    MAIN    SQUARE,    CUZCO 


GETTING  READY  FOR  MARKET,  CUZCO 


287 


CHAPTER  IX 
SAILING  ABOVE  THE  CLOUDS 

LAKE  TITICACA,   HIGHEST   NAVIGABLE  WATER   IN   THE  WORLD 

A  last  look  backward  until  Old  Cuzco  faded  into  the  distance 
of  space  and  we  could  no  longer  see  even  its  outlines  against 
the  clear  background  of  the  morning  sky.  The  great  fortress 
of  Sacsahuaman  gradually  disappeared  from  view  like  a  shift- 
ing slide  in  some  phantasmagoria  of  wonders  that  had  revealed 
but  a  passing  glimpse  of  its  fairyland  of  scenery  to  our  admiring 
gaze. 

Though  they  passed  from  actual  vision  these  reminders  of  an 
historic  past  were  still  present  to  the  imagination  and  never  can 
they  be  obliterated  from  the  retina  of  memory.  They  follow  me, 
and  turn  where  I  may,  the  eyes  of  the  mind  rest  upon  their 
visionary  forms,  while  recollections  come  back  of  the  realities 
they  represent  and  the  interest  they  inspired  while  looking  upon 
them. 

From  Cuzco  we  returned  to  Juliaca,  where  we  changed  to  a 
train  that  carried  us  to  Puno,  a  small  town  on  the  shore  of  Lake 
Titicaca  and  the  terminus  of  the  railroad.  Here  is  revealed  the 
mighty  plateau  of  Titicaca,  upheld  between  two  of  the  Andean 
ranges  at  a  height  of  more  than  12,000  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea  and  from  which  can  be  viewed  at  wonderful  advantage 
the  grandeur  and  sublimity  of  the  towering  Andes.  Probably 
at  this  place  the  great  mountains  are  seen  with  better  effect  than 
at  any  other  point  in  their  four  thousand  miles  of  range.  The 
scenes  on  every  side  were  strikingly  impressive,  forcibly  bring- 
ing home  to  us  the  insignificance  of  mortals  and  their  weak  and 
puny  efforts  in  face  of  the  overpowering  creations  nature  here 
presents  from  her  titanic  workshop. 

229 


230  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Think  of  peaks  piercing  the  clouds  at  four  miles  above  the  sea, 
reflecting  the  lights  and  tints  of  the  brilliant  sky  that  bends  above 
the  w^aters  of  Titicaca,  glimmering  in  the  shimmering  beauties 
of  lake  and  table-land,  throwing  off  an  iridescent  radiance  in  the 
glow  of  the  morning  light  and  the  wane  of  the  setting  sun,  and 
you  can  conjure  up  an  imperfect  picture  of  this  region  which 
seems  at  points  to  kiss  the  heavens  in  its  embrace,  as  if  held 
up  by  some  enchanted  aerial  edifice,  reaching  up  from  earth  to 
sky.  The  great  finger  of  Sorata,  the  third  highest  peak  on  the 
globe,  over  23,000  feet  in  altitude,  pointed  its  snowy  index  to  the 
skies  like  a  signal-post  of  the  gods  indicating  the  way  from 
earth  to  heaven. 

Puno  at  times  is  very  cold,  the  icy  winds  sweeping  down  from 
the  mountain-peaks  and  snowcaps  with  biting  breath,  penetrat- 
ing the  thickest  clothing  and  causing  a  shiver  to  run  through 
the  bodily  frame,  though  the  sun  may  be  riding  high  in  the 
heavens.  The  place  has  a  Spanish  air  about  it  of  mediaeval  time 
and  looks  as  if  it  had  but  little  interest  in  the  present,  though  a 
considerable  trade  is  carried  on  through  it,  especially  in  wool 
and  ores.  In  fact,  most  of  the  freight  from  Bolivia  is  sent  over 
the  lake  to  Puno,  thence  down  the  railroad  to  the  port  of  Mol- 
lendo. 

A  little  steamboat,  the  Coya,  native  word  for  queen,  was  wait- 
ing to  take  us  across  the  famous  lake,  on  our  way  to  La  Paz, 
the  capital  of  Bolivia.  This  steamboat,  as  well  as  several  others 
on  the  lake,  was  not  of  home  construction.  The  sections  were 
made  in  Scotland,  on  the  banks  of  the  Clyde,  shipped  to  Mollendo 
and  brought  over  the  Andes  on  mule-back  to  Puno,  where  they 
were  put  together  for  navigable  service  on  Lake  Titicaca. 

Here  the  reader  may  be  informed  that  the  inter-island  boats 
on  Lake  Titicaca  are  not  steam-propelled.  They  are  curious 
contrivances  known  as  balsas,  and  have  a  remote  origin,  older 
than  history  itself.  They  antedate  the  Incas,  who  used  them  just 
as  their  descendants  use  them  to-day,  for  transportation  from 
shore  to  island,  and  from  island  to  island,  carrying  freight  of  all 
kinds.  These  crafts  are  basket-like  in  shape,  and  are  composed 
of  a  kind  of  reed,  obtained  from  a  lake  weed,  resembling  barley 
straw;  the  reeds  are  tied  together  in  bunches  and  bound  together 
after  the  fashion  of  a  catamaran.  The  body  is  three  or  four  feet 
thick  and  floats  with  a  light  buoyancy  so  that  several  tons  of 
freight  can  be  easily  carried  in  the  rush-like  contrivances.     The 


ACROSS  LAKE  TITICACA  233 

sails  are  also  composed  of  fibers  or  reeds,  and  catch  the  wind 
readily  to  speed  the  boat  along.  Sometimes  the  sails  are  want- 
ing, in  which  case  the  Indians  force  the  big  baskets  through 
the  water  by  means  of  oars  as  in  an  ordinary  row-boat;  lacking 
oars,  long  poles  are  used  for  propulsion.  Balsas  are  also  much 
in  favor  along  the  coast,  for  which  service  the  bodies  of  the  floats 
are  generally  made  up  of  porous  timber  instead  of  reeds.  The 
Titicaca  balsas  do  not  last  long,  three  or  four  months'  wear 
rendering  them  water-soaked  and  unfit  for  further  service. 

As  we  embarked  from  Puno  on  the  Coya,  the  morning  air  was 
cool  but  pleasant,  and  so  rarefied  and  clear  that  we  could  see  for 
several  miles.  The  clouds  rose  up  from  the  shores  of  the  lake 
like  wings  of  angels  from  the  forms  they  had  been  guarding 
during  the  night,  and  as  the  sun  came  out  in  his  regal  glory  it 
seemed  as  if  a  curtain  had  been  uplifted  from  a  corner  of  heaven 
revealing  the  beauties  that  had  been  concealed. 

As  is  fairly  well  known,  Lake  Titicaca  is  the  highest  water 
sheet  in  the  world  which  is  navigated  by  steam.  The  grandeur 
of  its  waters  and  surroundings,  with  the  legends  which  cling  to 
them,  combine  to  make  it  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  places 
to  the  traveler  and  tourist. 

There  are  many  beautiful  islands  around  which  tradition 
flings  its  mantle  of  story.  The  Island  of  Titicaca  lies  a  mile  or 
so  from  the  shore  and  is  claimed  as  the  site  of  the  oldest  civili- 
zation in  America.  It  was  on  the  rock  of  this  island  that  Manco 
Capac  and  Mama  Occlo,  the  mysterious  founders  of  the  Inca 
Dynasty,  are  said  to  have  received  their  instructions  from  Inti, 
the  sun-god,  regarded  by  his  devotees  as  the  celestial  father  of 
all  living  creatures.  When  he  deemed  the  time  ripe  for  the 
true  education  and  enlightenment  of  mankind  he  sent  these  two 
divine  teachers  to  expound  the  laws  of  correct  living  to  the  peo- 
ple and  establish  a  government  of  moral  order  as  well  as  to  ini- 
tiate them  into  the  science  of  tilling  the  soil  and  to  give  them 
knowledge  of  the  arts  whereby  to  utilize  the  products  which  the 
soil  produced. 

In  this  legend  of  Manco  Capac  and  Mama  Occlo  we  can 
easily  trace  an  analogy  to  the  sun  myths  of  the  old  Greek  and 
Aryan  sources.  It  is  also  in  keeping  with  the  cosmogony  of  the 
race.  The  different  peoples  of  the  earth  have  each  claimed  a 
founder  of  their  religion  enshrouded  more  or  less  in  mystic  ori- 
gin.    The  Norsemen  had  their  Thor,  the  Arabians  their  Mahomet, 


234  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

the  Persians  their  Zoroaster,  the  Hindus  their  Buddha,  the  Chi- 
nese their  Confucius,  and  the  old  Romans  their  Romulus  and 
Remus.  The  followers  of  these  believed  in  the  divine  attributes 
of  the  beings  they  worshiped — their  gods,  as  some  are  pleased 
to  call  them. 

If  we  are  inclined  to  be  skeptical  and  treat  their  religions  as  so 
many  superstitions  we  are  confronted  with  our  Christ,  whom 
Eastern  peoples  also  believe  enshrined  in  mystery ;  if  these  do  not 
regard  the  Saviour  of  the  Christians  as  mythical,  at  best  they 
look  upon  him  as  but  of  human  origin  and  simply  as  one  of  the 
great  human  teachers  of  the  world. 

Whether  Manco  Capac  and  his  sister-wife  were  mythical  or 
real  concerns  us  little  to-day.  Their  story  had  its  origin  in  either 
case  on  the  island  of  Titicaca,  and  this  adds  an  interest  to  the 
place  and  makes  it  a  source  of  attraction  for  the  Western  civili- 
zation and  enlightenment  of  our  time. 

For  several  centuries  the  ruins  of  the  palaces  and  temples 
which  covered  the  sacred  place  have  afforded  material  for  the 
investigation  of  savants  and  archaeologists.  Most  of  the  stones 
of  the  ancient  buildings  have  been  carried  away  for  the  erection 
of  houses  on  the  mainland.  If  we  are  to  believe  the  reports 
of  the  chroniclers  who  accompanied  Pizarro,  the  palaces  of  Ti- 
ticaca, like  those  of  Cuzco,  were  extensive  and  sumptuous  to  a 
high  degree.  They  were  built  of  great  carved  stones  laid  with 
the  skill  and  architectural  genius  which  characterize  all  the 
buildings  of  the  Incas.  When  the  Spaniards  came  upon  them 
they  were  filled  with  accumulations  of  gold,  both  for  ornamental 
and  useful  purposes.  The  walls  were  covered  with  beaten  sheets 
of  the  precious  metal,  and  the  altars  and  idols  were  loaded  with 
vessels  and  ornaments  hammered  out  of  the  pure  ore  into 
forms  of  great  artistic  beauty. 

The  invaders  left  the  edifices  roofless  and  dismantled  and 
carried  away  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  treasures.  Among 
the  ornaments  seized  by  the  greedy  freebooters  were  life-size  stat- 
ues in  gold  of  birds  and  animals,  and  also  golden  trees,  baskets 
and  candelabra  of  excellent  workmanship.  The  ruins  of  the  royal 
baths  can  still  be  traced;  they  were  carved  out  of  marble  with 
floors  of  ornamental  stones  set  in  the  hardest  cement;  the  water 
was  received  through  the  mouths  of  golden  animals  and  the  bills 
of  golden  birds. 
At  present  the  island  of  Titicaca  is  inhabited  by  about  five  or 


SUNSET,   LAKE   TITICACA 


ACROSS  LAKE  TITICACA  237 

six  hundred  Indians,  who  Uve  in  rude  mud  huts  and  who  are 
barely  able  to  wrest  a  subsistence  from  the  soil  by  cultivating 
little  patches  of  wheat,  barley  and  potatoes. 

Coati  is  another  island  which  claims  attention.  It  is  about  six 
miles  distant  from  Titicaca  and  is  much  smaller.  At  present  it 
is  merely  a  small  sheep  farm.  Coal  has  lately  been  discovered 
upon  it,  but  it  is  of  an  inferior  quality.  This  little  patch  of  earth 
was  famous  as  being  sacred  to  the  Moon,  the  consort  of  the  Sun 
in  Indian  worship.  Here,  centuries  ago,  the  Virgins  of  the  Moon 
were  immured.  There  are  ruins  of  chapels  and  cells,  and,  as  on 
Titicaca  Island,  the  baths  are  easily  traced  in  the  outlines  of  their 
ruins.  The  place  was  one  of  the  centers  of  general  worship,  and 
a  better  one  could  not  have  been  selected  for  the  purpose.  It 
was  the  shrine  of  Inti,  where  he  devoted  himself  to  his  spouse, 
the  Queen  Moon.  Regularly  laid  terraces  cover  the  whole  island, 
stretching  in  curves  around  the  concave  coast;  from  these 
terraces  a  splendid  view  of  the  lake  can  be  had,  its  pale  blue, 
glossy  surface  extending  away  to  the  East,  where  the  snowfields 
and  glaciers,  piled  in  fantastic  confusion,  rise  out  of  the  calm 
waters  and  rivet  the  gaze  with  their  diversity  of  arrangement. 

Great  masses  of  clouds  above  the  peak  of  Mount  Sorata  ap- 
peared roseate  in  the  light  of  the  fading  sun,  gilding  the  waters 
into  shimmering  loveliness,  which  shone  like  scintillating  cloth 
of  silk  in  the  slanting  beams,  a  perfect  panorama  of  multi-colored 
spendor. 

The  other  islands  are  but  small  upheavals  above  the  water, 
their  crests  rising  above  the  surface  like  fairy  castles  on  ultra- 
marine foundations.  Little  plots  of  barley,  wheat,  potatoes  and 
quinua  were  being  cultivated  on  all  and  we  could  see  the  natives 
with  rude  hoes  performing  their  tillage  operations  on  the  minia- 
ture spaces  scarcely  larger  than  so  many  back  yards  in  our  cities 
and  towns. 

As  we  glide  over  the  waters  of  the  lake  the  legends  and  tra- 
ditions of  the  past  come  to  us,  but  present  realities  crowd  them 
out  and  we  busy  ourselves  with  the  environment  on  every  side. 
What  a  sensation  it  is  to  be  sailing  above  the  clouds — sailing  on 
water  at  an  altitude  which  the  aeronaut  would  not  dare  to  at- 
tempt from  the  level  of  the  coast !  It  thrills,  it  captivates,  it  en- 
raptures, and  we  feel  as  if  we  could  forget  the  rest  of  the  world 
we  had  left  behind  on  this  excursion  between  the  mountain-tops 
of  earth's  greatest  range.    The  water  is  of  a  dark  blue,  which  re- 


UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS  238 

fleets  the  sunlight  in  an  opalescent  splendor  and  appeals  mar- 
velously  to  the  esthetic  and  artistic  taste.  On  a  bright  day, 
the  shores  of  the  lake  are  peculiarly  attractive.  The  fresh  vege- 
tation of  dark  livid  green  contrasts  well  with  the  red  soil  belts 
and  imparts  a  vivid  hue  to  the  surrounding  hills,  while  the  tre- 
mendous snow-crowned  peaks  of  Sorata  and  Illimani,  rising  some 
ten  thousand  feet  higher  than  the  surface  of  the  lake,  appear  as 
if  guarding  the  ancient  possessions  of  the  Incas  with  rock-bound 
barriers  that  no  power  can  overcome. 

As  we  looked  toward  the  south,  when  the  short  tropical  twi- 
light gave  place  to  the  majestic  approach  of  the  calm  and  star- 
lit night,  we  could  see  hanging  above  the  dim  outline  of  the  Cor- 
dilleras the  shimmering  stars  of  the  Southern  Cross.  Those  scintil- 
lating specks  in  the  illimitable  field  of  space  we  knew  were  hanging 
almost  in  the  zenith  over  our  English-speaking  brethren  in  the  great 
island  continent  of  Australia. 

Lake  Titicaca  is  about  12,500  feet  above  sea-level,  and  in 
shape  is  long  and  irregular.  It  is  said  to  be  120  miles  in  length 
by  57  in  breadth,  and  to  have  an  area  of  5,000  square  miles,  but  in 
truth  it  has  never  been  thoroughly  mapped,  and  these  figures  are 
but  conjectures.  The  shores  are  so  indented  and  their  topo- 
graphy so  complicated  that  it  would  require  many  months  sail- 
ing around  them  to  make  a  complete  chart.  In  places  it  is  very 
deep,  soundings  having  been  taken  where  tiie  plummet  line  did 
not  reach  bottom  at  a  thousand  feet.  Indeed,  it  is  thought  to  be 
the  deepest  lake  in  the  world.  It  has  no  outlet  to  the  sea,  but 
is  drained  by  the  river  Desaguadero,  which  flows  into  another 
lake  called  Poopo,  that  has  no  known  outlet.  The  many  little 
rivulets  formed  by  glaciers  make  up  its  source. 

There  is  a  great  commerce  over  Lake  Titicaca.  Consider- 
ably more  than  a  million  dollars  worth  of  imports  go  over  it  an- 
nually into  Bolivia  and  about  half  a  million  dollars  worth  in 
exports  are  sent  across  it  from  the  same  republic.  Much  of  the 
freight  is  carried  from  and  to  the  shores  of  the  lake  on  the 
backs  of  the  ever-faithful  llamas. 

At  the  eastern  end  of  the  lake  there  is  only  a  narrow  channel 
betwen  the  peninsulas  of  Copocavana  and  San  Pedro,  so  that 
the  traveler  has  to  pass  through  the  little  strait  of  Tiquina,  where 
he  loses  sight  of  the  great  expanse  of  Titicaca  and  finds  himself 
in  a  small  lake  at  its  southern  end.  To  cross  this  required  sev- 
eral hours,  at  the  end  of  which  we  entered  the  little  artificial  har- 


A    DESCENDANT    OF   A    PEOPLE    WHO    RULED    THIS    LAND 


23i> 


ACROSS  LAKE  TITICACA  241 

bor  of  Quaqui  on  the  Bolivian  side,  where  we  had  customs  to 
contend  with  again,  as  we  were  coming  from  one  state  to  an- 
other. 

A  tiresome  and  uninteresting  ride  of  about  four  hours  brought 
us  to  the  wonderful  city  of  La  Paz  de  Ayacucho,  the  seat  of 
government  of  the  Mountain  Republic. 


CHAPTER  X 
IN  WONDERFUL  LA  PAZ 

THE  MOST  PICTURESQUE  INDIAN  CITY  OF  SPANISH  AMERICA 

We  are  now  in  Bolivia,  the  inland  republic  of  South  America. 
La  Paz  is  its  nominal  capital.  This  city  has  a  population  of  about 
65,000,  and  in  many  respects  is  the  most  wonderful  city  in  the 
world. 

It  has  been  said,  man  constructed  the  walls  of  all  other  cities  but 
God  himself  built  the  walls  of  La  Paz.  This  is  true.  It  lies  in  the 
bottom  of  a  valley  at  a  depth  of  more  than  a  thousand  feet  below 
the  puna  or  plateau  which  stretches  away  on  a  level  around  all 
sides  of  the  steep  descent.  Therefore,  its  walls  or  natural  boundaries 
may  be  said  to  rise  more  than  a  thousand  feet  above  the  city. 

I  have  looked  upon  the  artificial  barriers  which  men  have  built 
around  many  cities  of  the  Old  World,  I  have  seen  the  cyclopean 
structures  erected  to  protect  the  strongholds  of  Eastern  lands,  I 
have  viewed  the  colossal  ramparts  that  surround  Pekin,  I  have 
wondered  at  the  huge  masonry  upreared  to  fortify  the  sacred  city 
of  Jerusalem,  my  attention  has  been  riveted  by  the  mighty  buttresses 
of  Cairo  and  the  massive  forts  of  Alexandria,  I  have  wandered 
round  Moorish  cities  having  walls  thick  enough  and  solid  enough 
to  resist  the  artillery  of  a  thousand  cannon,  but  all  these  works  of 
human  skill  and  ambition,  mighty  though  they  are  standing  in  the 
magnitude  of  strength,  as  silent  witnesses  of  a  past  prowess  and 
power,  dwarf  into  insignificance  when  brought  into  comparison  with 
what  Nature  has  done  to  surround  and  fortify  La  Paz. 

As  if  scooped  out  of  the  great  plain  situated  in  the  heart  of  the 
Bolivian  Andes,  this  unique  city  lies  hidden  away  like  some  gem  of 
creation  rather  than  a  piece  of  man's  handiwork,  in  seemingly  sub- 
terranean obscurity  between  the  everlasting  hills  which  bound  the 
plateau  from  which  it  descends. 

242 


BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  LA  PAZ 


AN  INDIAN  GROUP,  LA  PAZ 


^48 


MOST  PICTURESQUE  INDIAN  CITY  245 

When  we  arrived  at  the  brink  of  the  valley — cafion  or  gorge  it 
would  probably  be  called  in  the  Western  States — and  looked  down 
on  the  red-tiled  terra  cotta  roofs  so  sharply  defined  in  the  clear 
air  that  the  tiles  might  be  counted,  the  sight  unfolded  before  our 
eyes  resembled  some  magic  panorama  spread  before  the  view  by 
wand  of  enchantment.  The  blending  of  colors  was  most  remarkable, 
their  variations  entrancing  the  eye  as  if  by  a  spell  and  claiming 
attention  with  a  fascination  altogether  indescribable. 

The  streets  of  La  Paz  climb  up  the  sides  of  the  gorge  of  both 
banks  of  the  torrent  of  the  same  name  that  foams  and  flows  at  the 
bottom.  As  we  looked  down  from  the  puna  the  streets,  the  yards, 
the  gardens  semed  to  be  laid  out  with  geometrical  precision,  giving 
the  idea  of  a  large  natural  map  outlined  with  a  faultless  regularity. 
It  was  a  map  indeed  full  of  life  and  color,  a  vitascope  of  changing 
hues  and  scenes  which  appealed  to  every  esthetic  instinct. 

From  the  edge  of  the  barranca  or  *'alto,"  as  it  is  generally  called, 
electric  cars  run  down  into  the  city  by  a  series  of  zigzag  tracks  along 
the  sides  of  the  precipitous  declivity.  Despite  the  steepness  of  the 
grade,  these  cars  are  very  light  and  all  equipped  with  powerful 
brakes  which  can  be  clamped  at  any  point  in  the  descent.  Of  course 
they  are  not  built  for  heavy  traffic,  but  there  is  no  heavy  traffic 
to  put  them  to  any  considerable  strain.  The  great  bulk  of  the  freight 
is  brought  into  the  city  on  mules,  donkeys,  llamas  and  on  the  backs 
of  the  Indian  natives. 

Though  lying  so  low  in  the  basin  of  the  plateau.  La  Paz  has  the 
distinction  of  being  the  highest  city  in  the  world.  It  is  12,470  feet 
above  sea-level,  which  makes  it  more  than  2,000  feet  higher  than 
Quito.  This  great  elevation  causes  it  to  be  quite  cold,  though  in  the 
open  the  sun  is  very  strong.  The  temperature  climbs  as  high  as  80 
degrees  and  over  at  noonday,  but  it  sinks  to  20  degrees  and  under  at 
night  in  the  winter,  and,  durmg  the  summer  about  the  same  extremes 
are  experienced.  This  means  that  there  is  a  difference  of  60  degrees 
inside  twenty-four  hours,  a  variation  which  is  very  trying  to  the 
visitor  or  any  one  not  acclimated  to  the  place.  To  resist  the  cold  the 
natives  pile  on  extra  ponchos,  just  as  the  Japanese  wrap  themselves 
in  several  kimonos  when  the  mercury  begins  to  creep  down  in  the 
tube.  They  also  encase  their  feet  in  rolls  of  fur  or  wool  fashioned 
like  hand-muffs.  The  natural  cold  of  the  place  is  not  counteracted 
to  any  degree  by  artificial  heat,  for  there  are  scarcely  any  fires, 
as  the  locality  and  surroundings  are  treeless  and  coal  would  have 
to  be  brought  long  distances  at  an  expense  beyond  the  means  of 


246  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

the  people.  What  fuel  there  is  consists  of  the  manure  of  llamas, 
which  is  carried  into  the  city  in  sacks  slung  across  the  backs  of  the 
animals. 

We  tried  to  keep  ourselves  warm  by  freely  indulging  in  tea  or 
other  hot  non-alcoholic  beverages,  and  we  also  secured  several  lamps 
at  consideiable  expense.  With  our  heavy  coats  tightly  wrapped 
around  us  we  managed  to  keep  fairly  comfortable  in  the  evenings 
and  to  forget  that  there  was  any  drawback  in  the  way  of  cold  to 
make  us  take  less  interest  in  the  scenes  which  surrounded  us.  Be- 
tween the  blankets,  however,  is  the  best  place  to  keep  warm  while 
in  La  Paz  when  the  sun  goes  down  behind  the  towering  Andes,  and 
this  fact  induces  early  retirement  in  this  place. 

Here  I  would  give  good  advice  to  those  intending  to  travel  in 
South  America — If  you  have  a  weak  heart,  or  if  you  sufifer  from 
any  pulmonary  affections  or  complications,  avoid  La  Paz,  do  not 
include  it  in  your  itinerary.  Should  pneumonia  develop  there  is 
scarcely  a  chance  for  recovery,  as  there  is  not  enough  oxygen  in  the 
air  to  restore  the  lungs  to  their  normal  functions.  Elsewhere  I 
have  alluded  to  the  danger  of  sorroche  to  those  affected  with  car- 
diac troubles. 

The  rugged  exercise  to  which  we  accustom  ourselves  at  home  is 
out  of  the  question  in  this  region.  Even  moderate  exercise  on  oc 
casions  is  dangerous,  as  there  is  such  a  pressure  on  the  breathing 
apparatus  and  the  heart-beats  become  so  quickened  that  there  is 
much  risk  of  total  collapse.  Often  I  had  to  pause  for  a  short  rest 
in  climbing  the  steep  streets,  and  all  are  steep  except  those  that  run 
along  the  bottom  of  the  valley  parallel  to  the  river.  Though  I'm 
of  a  sound  constitution  and  tolerably  accustomed  to  climatic  changes, 
I  frequently  felt  the  strain  of  the  high  altitude  and  the  rarity  of  the 
atmosphere.  On  occasions  I  felt  as  if  blood  was  about  to  spurt  from 
my  nostrils,  especially  when,  for  the  time  being,  I  so  far  forgot 
precaution  as  to  walk  too  fast,  or  essay  a  steep  incline  at  my  usual 
gait  without  slowing  down,  or  rather  slowing  up,  in  the  ascent. 

Oftentimes  the  veins  feel  as  if  they  would  burst,  and  the  lungs 
become  painful  as  if  in  a  last  gasp  for  lack  of  air,  while  a  drow- 
siness numbs  the  head  and  more  or  less  stupefies  the  senses  while 
it  is  being  experienced.  If  you  have  exerted  yourself  beyond  dis- 
cretion, the  heart  will  beat  when  you  lie  down  with  heavy  throbs 
against  the  chest  like  the  "chug-chug"  of  an  asthmatic  automobile 
The  condition  is  simply  an  intensification  or  aggravated  form  of  the 
sorroche,  often  called  in  this  locality  the  Mareo  Montana,  that  is  to 


AYMARA   INDIANS,   LA  PAZ 


(  HOLA  WOMAN  AND  BABY,   ]  A    I' A/ 


247 


CHOLA  GIRLS  GOING  TO  MARKET,  LA  PAZ 


MARKET  SCENE  BEFORE  CATHEDRAL,   LA  PAZ 


249 


SUNDAY    MARKET    SCENE,    LA    PAZ 


INDIAN  COSTUMES,   MARKET,  LA  PAZ 


251 


MOST  PICTURESQUE  INDIAN  CITY  253 

say,  the  mountain  sea-sickness,  an  appellation  which  in  itself  is  iden- 
ical  with  an  Irish  bull — a  contradiction  in  terms;  nevertheless,  it 
describes  the  feeling  one  identifies  with  the  experience  of  those  who 
for  the  first  time  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships  and  wish  they  were 
back  again  on  land. 

The  eyes  also  suffer.  The  bright  sun-rays  and  the  winds  and  the 
rarity  of  the  atmosphere  are  very  trying  on  the  sight,  often  giving 
rise  to  acute  inflammation  of  the  eye-nerves  and  causing  great  pain. 
This  afifection  is  known  as  sirumpe,  and  few  travelers  escape  it  in 
this  locality. 

The  Indians  do  not  seem  to  sufifer  in  any  way  from  tenousity  of 
the  atmosphere,  and  many  of  them  are  excellent  athletes, — swift 
runners  and  good  jumpers.  Of  course  in  their  case  they  are  thor- 
oughly inured  to  the  climate,  and  thus  environment  becomes,  as  it 
were,  a  second  nature.  An  Eskimo  or  a  Laplander  would  soon 
wither  away  on  the  sunny  plains  of  India,  on  the  other  hand  a 
Hindu  would  very  easily  succumb  to  the  cold  and  snows  of  the 
frozen  North,  but  each  thrives  in  his  own  country. 

La  Paz  was  originally  named  Neustra  Sehora  de  la  Paz,  which 
means  "Our  Lady  of  Peace,"  by  its  founder,  Alonzo  de  Mendoza. 
Its  official  name  now  is  La  Paz  de  Ayacucho — "the  Peace  of 
Ayacucho" — after  the  battle  of  that  name.  Of  its  population  of 
65,000,  it  is  claimed  that  more  than  30,000  are  Aymaras,  who  can 
neither  speak  nor  understand  Spanish,  the  State  language,  much 
less  English,  a  foreign  language  to  the  country. 

Whether  there  are  so  many  Aymara  Indians  in  La  Paz  I  can- 
not confirm  or  deny,  but  as  to  the  statement  concerning  their  igno- 
rance of  the  languages  mentioned,  my  own  experience  on  the  street* 
and  in  the  market  leads  me  to  believe  that  it  is  not  to  be  doubted. 
The  Indians  with  whom  I  had  dealings  or  with  whom  I  came 
in  contact  in  any  way,  with  possibly  one  or  two  exceptions,  could 
not  speak  Spanish  or  English  or  understand  me  when  I  addressed 
them  in  either  tongue,  so  I  had  to  restort  to  a  kind  of  sign  language 
with  pantomimic  gestures  to  convey  my  meaning  to  them  or  to 
indicate  what  I  wanted.  Those  dealers  and  peddlers  who  were 
most  eager  to  sell  their  wares  were  heavily  handicapped  by  this 
lack  of  knowledge  of  the  language  of  many  purchasers. 

Here  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  Aymaras  are  quite 
different  from  their  mild  and  easy-going  cousins,  the  Quichuas, 
whom  one  encounters  around  Cuzco.  They  are  of  a  cunning  and 
treacherous  nature,  and  fighters  "from  away  back"  who  fully  realize 


254  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

their  own  importance  to  the  State  authorities.  In  no  other  city  of 
the  Andes  are  the  Indians  so  powerful  as  in  La  Paz.  In  fact  it  is  to 
the  power  of  these  aborigines  that  the  city  owes  its  poUtical  su- 
premacy as  the  seat  of  the  President  and  Congress  of  the  Repubhc. 
They  are  proud  of  this  power,  and  the  pride  begets  an  insolence 
which  is  very  repugnant  to  the  whites,  but  the  latter  must  bear  it 
with  the  best  equanimity  they  can.  Bolivia  is  always  in  dread  of 
an  Indian  rising,  and  it  is  on  this  account  that  revolutions  are  less 
frequent  than  in  other  republics,  for  the  fear  of  these  barbarous 
hordes  is  ever  present  to  deter  the  whites  from  coming  into  san- 
guinary conflict  with  them.  At  Cuzco  you  can  command  a  Quichua 
Indian  to  do  your  bidding  and  he  readily  obeys  you,  but  in  La 
Paz  you  have  to  humor  the  Aymara  if  you  want  anything  done, 
and  if  you  seek  a  favor,  you  have  to  come  to  him  as  a  suppliant,  not 
as  a  superior. 

Though  La  Paz  is  a  city  which  enchants  the  tourist  in  a  number 
of  ways  and  claims  his  interest  from  several  standpoints,  there  are 
not  many  remarkable  buildings.  True,  some  of  the  old  time  houses 
are  massive,  but  not  picturesque.  The  ecclesiastical  structures  are 
numerous,  but  for  the  most  commonplace.  The  Cathedral,  far  from 
finished,  has  pretentious  claims  as  an  architectural  pile,  but  there 
is  little,  if  any,  artistic  beauty  about  it.  It  adjoins  the  government 
palace,  where  the  President  resides,  and  where  the  heads  of  the 
various  executive  offices  have  their  departments.  The  walls,  which 
are  very  thick — about  ten  feet — are  composed  of  handsomely  dressed 
stone.  There  are  many  carvings.  The  ornamentation  of  this  ba- 
silica, however,  as  well  as  that  of  almost  all  the  other  churches,  is 
heavy  and  tawdry  and  far  from  appealing  to  the  artistic  eye.  Build- 
ing is  still  going  on  at  this  Cathedral,  but  very  slowly.  A  govern- 
ment sum  is  appropriated  every  year  for  the  structure,  but  as  there 
is  a  tendency  to  separate  church  and  state,  the  allowance  is  likely 
to  be  discontinued. 

The  Church  of  San  Francisco  is  much  more  pleasing  than  the 
Cathedral.  Its  facade  might  be  called  handsome,  and  it  has  a  very 
elaborately  carved  reredos  behind  the  high  altar. 

The  Dominican  friars  have  a  large  church  which  is  a  fashionable 
place  of  worship,  attended  by  the  best  families.  It  is  also  much 
patronized  by  the  military,  the  brilliant  uniforms  of  the  officers  with 
their  golden  embroidery,  bright  buttons  and  flashing  aiguilettes  mak- 
ing quite  an  attraction  as  well  as  giving  a  dignity  and  impressiveness 
to  the  services.    When  the  soldiers  are  absent  the  ceremonies,  though 


A    (  lloLA    GIRL   LEAVING    CATHEDRAL,    LA   PAZ 


OLD    SPANISH    RESIDENCE.    LA    PAZ 


255 


AT  THE  FOUNTAIN,   LA   PAZ 


JUG-FILLING    AT    FOUNTAIN,    LA    PAZ 


MOST  PICTURESQUE  INDIAN  CITY  261 

accompanied  by  all  ''the  pomp  and  pageantry"  for  which  the  Roman 
ritual  is  famous  seem  dull  and  wearisome  to  a  stranger  not  in  com- 
munion with  the  Roman  Church. 

There  are  several  monasteries  and  convents  occupying  consider- 
able ground.  The  Carmelite  nuns  especially  have  a  strong  retreat 
here.  They  belong  to  one  of  the  strictest  orders  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  in  this  place  number  several  hundreds,  perhaps  the 
greatest  body  of  them,  housed  under  one  roof  in  the  world.  Unlike 
those  of  most  conventual  institutions,  the  inmates  of  the  La  Paz 
nunnery  come  from  only  the  best  families.  They  live  very  austere 
lives.  Once  they  pass  the  portals  they  never  emerge  again  until,  as 
corpses,  they  are  borne  to  the  little  cemetery  adjoining  the  building. 
The  rules  forbid  them  to  see  friends  or  to  have  any  communication 
whatever  with  the  outside  world. 

The  monasteries  and  churches  of  La  Paz  were  formerly  rich  in 
property  and  in  rights  of  mines  and  haciendas.  Indeed  many  of 
the  most  productive  mines  were  in  possession  of  the  ecclesiastics, 
such  as  the  Jesuits  and  Franciscans.  These  mines  were  w^orked  by 
Indian  slaves ;  some  of  them  became  exhausted,  while  depreciation 
in  the  price  of  silver  and  other  circumstances  caused  the  rest  to  be 
abandoned. 

In  fact  La  Paz  was  once  considered  one  of  the  wealthiest  cities 
in  South  America,  lying  away  in  its  deep  valleyed  seclusion  among 
the  mountains,  but  the  wealth  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past  and  the  ma- 
jority of  the  people  are  poor.  Sucre  is  now  the  money  center  of 
Bolivian  capital  and  the  home  of  the  rich  men  of  the  Republic,  w^ho 
have  their  investments  and  commercial  interests  for  the  greater 
part  in  that  city. 

Once  the  people  of  La  Paz  manufactured  nearly  all  their  own 
goods,  but  since  the  railway  was  constructed  and  facilities  for  ship- 
ment improved,  most  of  the  commodities  have  been  imported.  The 
warehouses  and  stores  are  generally  well  stocked,  and  most  of  them 
are  in  possession  of  German,  English  or  American  firms.  A  large 
part  of  the  Indian  clothing  is  manufactured  in  England  but  most  of 
the  indispensable  ponchos  are  made  in  Germany  which  means  a 
good  bit  of  business  for  the  Fatherland,  as  all  the  Indians  must  have 
these  multi-colored  blanket  overcoats.  These  garments  are  dyed  in 
keeping  with  the  Indian  taste  for  the  gaudy  in  coloring,  and  dis- 
play almost  all  the  hues  of  the  spectrum.  Stripes  in  green,  yellow, 
orange,  red  and  black  seem  to  be  the  favorite  patterns. 

The   former  wealth  of  the  city  is   exemplified  in  many  of  the 


262  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

domestic  buildings.  As  I  have  said,  some  of  these  are  massive; 
their  erection  as  well  as  their  furnishings  point  to  a  lavish  expense. 
But  grand,  rich,  solid  as  they  are,  they  are  withal  grim,  gloomy, 
not  impressive,  but  depressive.  The  furniture  generally  is  of  an 
elaborate  kind,  but  antiquated,  belonging  to  the  days  when  Bolivia 
had  its  bonanza,  when  the  mines  were  pouring  out  streams  of  silver 
and  the  people  could  afford  to  be  extravagant.  Despite  the  old- 
fashioned  designs  of  the  furniture  and  furnishings  they  are  costly. 
There  are  drawing-rooms  in  La  Paz  which  in  point  of  richness  can 
vie  with  many  of  those  in  the  boasted  mansions  of  New  York's  Fifth 
Avenue. 

Many  of  the  houses  have  galleries  built  around  the  patio,  but 
these  are  not  frequented  very  much,  as  the  cold  air  sweeps  through 
them  and  renders  them  chilly  and  uninviting  for  lounging  or  any 
pleasurable  purposes.  Many  of  the  entrances  are  guarded  by  huge 
gates  surmounted  with  armorial  bearings.  These  great  iron  barriers, 
so  far  from  adding  any  beauty,  suggest  the  sinister  idea  of  grim 
prisons  and  donjon  keeps  strongly  guarded  from  outside  attack  and 
inside  escape. 

Probably  the  market-place  is  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  sights 
in  La  Paz.  It  is  a  fascinating  spot  in  many  ways,  with  its  assemblage 
af  natives  leading  their  llamas  and  donkeys  loaded  down  with  the 
productions  of  the  region,  not  to  speak  of  the  numerous  babies  which 
intermingle  their  high  cries  with  the  raucous  voices  of  their  parents 
as  the  latter  offer  their  wares  for  sale.  Sometimes  the  screaming 
of  their  babies  resembles  a  caterwauling  competition  of  fighting 
felines  on  a  back  fence  at  midnight.  The  wares  are  many  and  varied. 
The  edibles  consist  of  fruits,  roots  and  grains  from  the  plateau, 
as  well  as  the  produce  of  the  nearest  valleys  which  enjoy  a  warmer 
temperature.  There  were  apples,  pears,  peaches,  grapes,  parched 
corn,  beans,  dried  peas  and  coca.  It  is  said  that  the  coca  habit  is  as 
general  among  the  Bolivians  as  is  that  of  the  opium  habit  with  the 
Chinese.  I  must  not  forget  to  mention  potatoes,  which  were  pre- 
pared and  presented  in  many  ways,  in  fact  in  so  many,  that  I  think 
every  possible  style  must  have  been  exhausted.  What  they  called  pre- 
served potatoes  are  cubes  of  the  esculent  which  have  been  exposed  to 
the  air  until  all  the  juice  or  moisture  has  been  evaporated.  These 
chips  have  the  appearance  of  pieces  of  withered  cork  and  were 
wholly  insipid  and  tasteless. 

Textile  fabrics,  weaves  and  embroideries,  fashioned  by  native 
hands  and  many  of  excellent  workmanship  were  also  on  sale  and 


SIOlJ.INCi    "CliUNO,"    OR   FROZEN    POTATOES,    LA    PAZ 


AX    ULTSKIRT    OF    LA    i'AZ 


263 


\  ll,LA(iK  OF  OJiRAJES,  NEAR  LA  PAZ 


^^M^m.r:i'. 

«^*»»*.i««jpp 

■fc^.^4a^Mi 

[^.-^^ 

,    .      .^Bmsf.-       SH 

1 

•      :  '** 

■T      ■P 

J^^- 

«.i^ 

W^W9I^F-±k 

HH                     ^'11  » 

^  Bl  "  •  F  ^^^M'  ^"^'^^BBP 

"'" ■- 

'^^P               V^^2Wal^^HHii^^H^^^ 

Bt_-_ 

^^^^^^''WHIHBHHHHH 

ROADSIDE  SCENE,  OBRAJES 


•265 


MOST  PICTURESQUE  INDIAN  CITY  267 

commanded  ready  customers.  The  marts  where  these  goods  were 
exposed  reminded  me  of  some  of  the  Oriental  bazars  I  had  visited 
in  my  travels  in  Morocco. 

The  chief  attraction  of  the  markets  for  many  visitors  center  in 
the  gay  costumes  and  dresses  of  the  venders.  Their  continual  move- 
ments presented  a  varied  and  wonderful  panorama  of  coloring  from 
bright  scarlets  and  blood  reds  to  azure  blues  and  emerald  greens. 
What  a  picture  for  an  artist ! — but  where  is  the  artist  who  could 
have  painted  it  ?  While  the  ponchos  are  the  distinctive  outer  cover- 
ing of  the  men,  their  remaining  apparel  claims  attention.  They 
have  peculiar  headpieces  which  vary  according  to  the  degree  of  im- 
portance assumed  by  the  wearers  among  their  kind,  some  having 
bright-colored  knit  caps  with  large  ear-flaps  hanging  down,  at  each 
side,  others  proudly  displaying  felt  hats  as  a  mark  or  superiority. 
The  Mestizos  or  Cholos  (half-breeds)  who  look  upon  themselves 
as  white  try  to  emulate  the  whites  in  matters  of  dress  and  wear  cloth 
coats  and  overcoats  of  a  modern  pattern. 

The  Indian  women  are  even  more  gaudily  attired  than  the  men 
and  show  off  with  intense  effect  their  bright  skirts  and  brilliant 
petticoats  which  are  generally  made  of  heavy  woolen  material.  The 
skirts  are  full,  smocked  from  the  waist  down  and  are  short,  never 
falling  below  the  ankles,  a  custom  of  wearing  which  enables  them  to 
display  well  their  gay  hosiery  and  bright  colored  leather  shoes. 
Many  of  them  wear  white  shoes.  The  waists  are  of  calico  or  vel- 
veteen, and,  in  keeping  with  the  other  garments,  they  are  like 
Joseph's  coat,  of  many  colors,  the  brighter  the  better.  Shawls, 
or  scarfs  called  rebosas,  are  usually  worn  around  the  shoulders. 
Often  babies  are  tied  to  the  back  by  means  of  these  shawls  and 
scarfs  and  thus  carried  around  while  the  mothers  are  doing  business. 

Sunday  is  the  best  day  for  seeing  the  markets.  Then  the  streets 
fairly  overflow  with  the  natives  and,  of  course,  they  put  on  tneir 
brightest  regalia.  This  is  the  harvest  day  of  the  peddlers  and  the 
merchandise  is  increased  in  kind  and  quantity.  What  a  display  of 
curious  things  wt  saw  presented  for  inspection  and  sale !  There 
were  tinware,  woodenware,  and  crockeryware  in  every  conceivable 
shape  and  form;  indeed  a  large  number  of  articles  looked  to  us 
without  shape  or  form  at  all,  if  we  may  apply  such  an  impossible 
description  to  the  queer  and  grotesquely  fashioned  objects  we  saw 
on  every  side.  They  looked  as  if  they  could  serve  for  neither  use 
nor  ornament,  but  it  must  be  taken  into  consideration  that  the  odd 
and   fantastic   appeal   to   the   Indians,   and,   despite   their  assumed 


268  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

superiority,  their  fiery  natures  and  fighting  procUvities,  in  some 
respects  they  are  but  overgrown  children.  They  deUght  in  little 
things ;  crude  gewgaws  and  baubles  give  them  as  much  pleasure  as 
sawdust  dolls  give  our  little  ones  when  Santa  Claus  brings  tnem 
down  the  chimney  at  Christmas.  In  fact  there  were  such  dolls  on 
sale,  and  clay  models  of  many  kinds  representing  llamas,  donkeys, 
mules  and  mythical  animals,  so  mythical  that  no  one  ever  heard  of 
their  like  either  in  story  or  fable.  Miniature  balsas,  fairly  con- 
structed little  replicas  of  the  basket  craft  of  Lake  Titicaca,  also 
helped  to  swell  the  curious  collections  displayed  in  the  sidewalks. 

Many  kinds  of  dresses  for  women  and  girls  were  on  sale  as  well  as 
home  manufactured  ponchos,  the  grades  ranging  from  the  rich  skin 
of  the  vicuna  at  $40  or  $50  to  the  cheap  hide  of  the  llama,  not 
worth  more  than  $2  or  $3.  There  is  not  much  sale,  however,  for  the 
native  ponchos,  the  people  preferring  the  German  importations ; 
consequently  the  making  of  ponchos  in  La  Paz  is  not  profitable  and 
few  give  their  time  to  it. 

As  the  natives  are  passionately  fond  of  music  there  were  many 
instruments  to  cater  to  their  tastes  in  this  direction  such  as  Aymara 
flutes,  bamboo  flageolets,  harmonicas,  guitars,  trumpets,  drums,  horns 
and  even  miniature  pianos.  Speaking  of  pianos,  it  may  be  said  that 
almost  every  Spanish  home  in  La  Paz  has  a  real  piano,  and,  as  a 
general  rule,  every  member  of  the  family  is  able  to  play  the  in- 
strument. 

Buying  and  selling  do  not  constitute  the  sole  features  of  the  La 
Paz  markets.  There  are  much  fun  and  amusement  besides  the 
trading  and  we  regret  to  say  gambling  is  carried  on  as  a  side  issue. 
Some  of  the  adjoining  plazas  are  entirely  devoted  to  games  of 
chance,  for  these  people,  like  their  white  brothers  in  higher  civilized 
lands,  have  human  weaknesses.  The  favorite  game  is  dice,  but  it 
is  not  carried  on  in  the  same  way  as  it  is  practiced  by  the  street  boy^5 
and  gamblers  in  our  own  country.  Instead  of  the  spots,  such  as 
the  aces  and  deuces,  the  dice  bear  grotesque  figures,  pictures  of  ani- 
mals, effigies  of  the  sun  and  other  emblematical  designs.  Each 
outfit  has  a  different  set,  and  three  dice  are  thrown  at  the  same  time ; 
if  the  figures  or  representations  on  which  a  bet  is  placed  turn  up  in 
the  cast  or  throw  the  bettor  wins.  The  bets  are  not  high,  scarcely 
ever  exceeding  a  real,  a  small  nickel  coin  about  the  value  of  four 
cents. 

Lotto  is  another  game  which  takes  the  fancy  of  the  natives,  and, 
as  in  the  case  of  dice,  pictures  take  the  place  of  numbers.    Of  course 


GROUP   OF    LLAMAS,    OBRAJES 


INDIANS    AT    HOME,    TIAHUANACO 


2C9 


AUTHOR   AT    ENTRANCE   TO    UNDERGROUND    PASSAGE. 
TIAHUANACO 


STAIKWAY  Ul'  KALASASAYA  PALACE.  TIAHUANACO 


271 


MONOLITHIC  DOORWAY  OF  OLD  CEMETERY,  TIAHUANACO 


MONOLITHIC    GATEWAY,    TIAHUANACO 


•<>78 


277 


MOST  PICTURESQUE  INDIAN  CITY  279 

it  is  played  as  elsewhere  with  dice  and  cards,  the  cards, 
bearing  several  pictures  and  lines,  and  each  dice  one  of  the  pic- 
tures vividly  represented.  The  dice  are  put  into  a  bag  and  as  each 
one  is  drawn  out  the  drawer  announces  the  name  of  the  picture  on 
it.  The  corresponding  picture  on  the  card  is  then  covered.  The 
player  who  is  the  first  to  cover  all  the  pictures  on  his  card  wins  the 
pool. 

There  are  other  chance  games,  but  most  of  them  are  taken  up 
merely  as  a  pastime  and  not  through  any  gambling  instinct  or  with 
any  intention  to  defraud  by  cheating  or  trickery. 

There  is  little  disorder  or  rowdyism,  though  drunkenness  is  not 
unusual  among  these  Indians.  Here  and  there  one  may  come  across 
a  gay  fellow  who  has  invested  his  few  pesos  in  a  jug  of  chichai  and 
feels  festive  for  the  time  being,  but  who  will  regret  his  indulgence  on 
the  morrow. 

The  Alameda  is  a  pleasant  and  gay  place  to  spend  an  afternoon. 
It  is  a  handsome  promenade,  shaded  by  the  slender  eucalyptus  trees 
which  seem  to  thrive  much  better  here  than  in  any  other  place  out- 
side their  native  home,  Australia.  This  is,  no  doubt,  owing  to  the 
dry  air  and  strong  sun  which  produce  conditions  somewhat  like  those 
of  the  Australian  climate.  Through  the  interstices  of  the  trees  one 
catches  glimpses  of  the  towering  snow-capped  peak  of  lUimani,  one 
of  the  three  highest  in  the  Andes,  which  the  morning  sunbeams  kiss 
at  an  elevation  of  four  miles  above  the  sea  and  which  seems  to  typify 
some  giant  guardian  genius  everlastingly  keeping  watch  and  ward 
over  this  region  of  lights  and  shades,  of  bright  skies  and  cloudy 
landscapes,  of  high  plateaus  and  sunken  valleys.  A  band  plays 
in  the  Alameda  on  each  alternate  night  and  crowds  always  come  to 
listen  to  the  music.  At  all  times  it  is  a  popular  resort,  but  especially 
so  on  Sundays  when  there  are  no  surpassing  attractions  in  the  city 
to  draw  the  people.  On  this  day  thousands  come  out  in  their  best 
clothes  to  see  and  be  seen  and  to  interchange  gossip,  walking  up  and 
down  or  sitting  on  the  iron  benches  beneath  the  trees.  It  is  inte- 
resting to  watch  the  cholo  girls  swaggering  along  in  their  finest  array 
with  billycock  hats  and  short  multicolored  skirts  which  allow  a  dis- 
play of  the  fringes  of  their  lace  petticoats  and  also  show  their  silken 
hose  and  high-heeled  shoes  to  the  best  advantage.  They  present  an 
unique  and  comic  sight. 

The  Plaza  Murillo,  with  the  President's  palace  and  Senate  House, 
is  inviting.  The  legislative  building  is  a  good  specimen  of  architec- 
ture, but  in  my  opinion  the  zinc  spire  detracts  much  from  its  beauty. 


280  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

It  was  formerly  a  Jesuit  monastery.  The  Senate  occupies  what  was 
once  the  library  of  the  monks  and  the  Chamber  of  Deputies  meets 
in  what  was  the  chapel.  The  plaza  is  small  but  very  tastefully  laid 
out.  We  passed  a  few  pleasant  evenings  walking  around  this  square 
and  enjoyed  very  much  the  really  good  music  discoursed  by  the  band 
which  plays  each  alternate  evening. 

Music  is  indeed  a  prominent  and  pleasant  feature  of  life  in  La 
Paz,  and  much  of  it  is  supplied  by  the  military.  The  troops  seem 
to  be  always  marching,  and  all  through  the  day  you  can  hear  strains 
of  martial  music  coming  from  some  quarter.  There  are  many 
soldiers.  Former  revolutions  created  a  military  spirit  which  still 
exists,  though  the  pay  is  insignificant;  probably  the  glittering  uni- 
forms, with  their  gold  braiding  and  laces,  have  something  to  do  in 
attracting  the  youth  to  the  colors.  Most  of  the  privates  are  Indians 
and  half-breeds. 

Though  the  natives  of  La  Paz  are  wofuUy  deficient  in  speaking 
or  understanding  any  language  save  their  own,  education  is  not 
neglected.  There  are  several  schools.  The  best  is  said  to  be  con- 
ducted by  a  North  American  mission,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
best  is  accounted  for  by  reason  of  its  devoting  itself  entirely  to 
secular  education  and  not  proselytizing,  as  so  many  similar  insti- 
tutions do.  It  is  patronized  by  several  Roman  Catholic  families  who 
send  their  children  to  it. 

There  are  two  or  three  newspapers  published  in  La  Paz,  but  they 
have  no  outside  correspondents  and  receive  no  telegraphic  de- 
spatches; they  simply  make  reprints  of  the  news  furnished  by  the 
Lima  papers,  especially  by  El  Commercio  of  that  city. 

Bull-fighting  still  prevails  in  La  Paz,  but  the  sport  is  not  as  brutal 
as  in  Spain.  It  is  conducted  under  certain  rigid  rules,  and  the  mu- 
nicipal authorities  always  attend.  Horses  are  not  permitted  to  be 
gored  to  death,  and  when  it  is  thought  the  poor  bull  has  afiforded 
sufficient  of  the  cruel  amusement,  the  matador  is  commanded  to  put 
him  to  death  with  as  much  mercy  and  as  little  pain  as  possible. 
The  bull-ring  is  surrounded  by  a  circular  adobe  wall  of  about  200 
feet  in  diameter  and  sheltered  by  a  roof  of  galvanized  iron.  There 
are  terraced  seats  around  the  enclosure,  except  at  the  entrance  and 
at  the  point  where  the  bull  is  led  to  the  combat.  It  is  situated  on 
the  summit  of  one  of  the  many  hills  which  rise  up  around  the  city. 
Not  infrequently  several  bulls  are  led  into  the  arena  of  an  evening 
for  the  amusement  of  the  spectators,  and  having  contributed  their 
part  to  the  excitement  are  slaughtered  by  the  matador. 


AL'THOR    AT    INCAN    IDOL,     TlAiiUAXACU 


'--"^^ 


MONOLITHIC    IDOL    FOUND    IN     RUINS    OF    TIAHUANACO 


281 


INDIAN    GIRL    SPINNING,    RUINS    OF    TIAHUANACO 


i'OXCHU   WEAVING,  TIAHUANACO 


VIEW    OF    GUAQUI 


TIN  AND  SILVER  ORK   AT   GUAQUI 


•285 


MOST  PICTURESQUE  INDIAN  CITY  287 

Before  leaving  the  neighborhood  of  La  Paz,  we  visited  the  vil- 
lage and  ruins  of  Tiahuanaco.  The  most  interesting  of  these  ruins 
is  convenient  to  the  little  railway  station  at  which  we  alighted.  We 
first  inspected  the  mound  known  as  **The  Fortress,"  which  was  orig- 
inally a  truncated  pyramid  about  600  feet  long,  400  feet  wide  and 
50  feet  high.  Travelers  have  dug  great  holes  in  its  sides,  actuated 
by  the  vain  hope  that  they  might  come  upon  some  of  the  '^treasure 
trove"  of  the  wealthy  Indians. 

Not  far  from  "The  Fortress"  are  rude  stone  blocks  about  ten  feet 
high  and  three  feet  thick,  which  are  supposed  to  have  formed  part 
of  the  walls  of  a  great  temple  or  palace.  Tourists  and  treasure- 
seekers  have  hauled  these  blocks  from  their  original  positions  and 
now  they  lie  in  confusion,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to  determine  how 
they  were  originally  placed. 

The  chief  ruins  of  Tiahuanaco  consist  of  rows  of  erect,  roughly 
shaped  monoliths,  sections  of  huge  stairways,  remains  of  founda- 
tions, monolithic  statues  and  monolithic  doorways,  bearing  carvings 
in.  low  relief.  These  are  scattered  over  a  broad  level  part  of  the 
plain.  We  saw  great  stone  platforms  weighing  many  tons  each. 
The  question  which  confronts  the  archhseologist  and  student  is,  how 
did  these  immense  stones  get  here?  There  are  no  quarries  from 
which  they  could  have  come.  Were  they  carried  from  a  great  dis- 
tance? If  so,  who  carried  them?  The  best  authorities  are  of  the 
opinion  that  they  must  have  been  quarried  in  the  vicinity  from  out- 
cropping ledges  which  have  long  since  disappeared  beneath  the 
sands  and  earth. 

There  is  little  left  of  ancient  Tiahuanaco  for  the  antiquarian  or 
explorer  to  puzzle  over.  The  Spaniards  used  a  large  quantity  of 
the  stone  of  the  old  buildings  in  the  erection  of  the  churches  of 
La  Paz  and  (juaqui.  Nearly  all  that  they  left  has  been  taken  away 
and  used  in  the  construction  of  the  bridges  and  warehouses  for  the 
modern  railroad  from  Guaqui  to  La  Paz.  It  is  estimated  that  five 
hundred  train-loads  have  thus  been  used. 

Alas,  that  the  maw  of  commerce  should  swallow  such  necessary 
evidence  of  a  wonderful  past  and  so  deprive  us  forever  of  the  key 
that  might  have  unlocked  its  mysteries ! 


CHAPTER  XI 


FROM  MOLLENDO  TO  VALPARAISO 


SAILING   ALONG   THE    CHILEAN    COAST 

Returning  to  Mollendo  we  again  put  out  to  sea,  bound  for  Val- 
paraiso, the  New  York  of  the  Southern  Pacific.  I  have  said 
before  that  the  harbor  of  Mollendo  is  rough.  The  surf  dashes  in 
with  a  great  force  and  coming  in  contact  with  the  black  rocks  sends 
up  a  spume  or  spray  fully  half  a  hundred  feet  in  the  air  at  times. 

The  boat  which  took  our  baggage  out  to  the  ship  was  dashed  about 
here  and  there  like  a  log  among  the  cross-currents  of  a  river,  and 
but  for  the  strength  and  dexterity  of  the  coffee-colored  boatmen 
would  have  bumped  to  destruction  on  some  of  the  ugly  ledges  that 
uprear  their  jagged  crowns  above  the  hissing  waves.  As  it  was, 
the  little  craft  grazed  a  huge  boulder,  but  fortunately  sheered  off 
just  in  time  to  save  it  from  being  rent  asunder  by  the  force  of  a 
more  violent  impact. 

Once  on  board  our  vessel  we  set  about  preparations  to  make  our- 
selves as  comfortable  as  possible  during  the  voyage,  for  we  had  an 
extended  run  before  us  of  some  eight  days,  before  reaching  the 
harbor  of  Valparaiso. 

Crossing  the  Atlantic  nowadays  is  much  less  formidable  than  ply- 
ing between  Mollendo  and  the  chief  Chilean  seaport,  though  the 
distance  is  not  more  than  one-half  as  long.  The  steamers  are  not 
on  the  same  palatial  scale  nor  near  so  swift  as  the  magnificent  ves- 
sels which  plow  through  the  Northern  seas  between  Europe  and 
America  at  a  speed  of  500  knots  and  over  per  day.  Yet  they  are 
not  bad  for  this  part  of  the  world,  while  the  accommodation  and 
cuisine  though  far  from  being  perfect  are  not  to  be  despised,  in 
fact  are  better  than  on  some  of  the  pretentious  lines  by  which  I 
have  traveled. 

288 


MOLLENDO    HARBOR,    ROUGHEST    ON   WEST   COAST 


TWT 


M 


Ml 

f 


THIXKIXC     ()|-     ()rili:K     \).\\ 


ALONG  THE  CHILEAN  COAST  291 

Though  desirous  of  making  the  best  arrangements  in  our  quarters 
for  the  comparative  long  distance  we  were  to  travel  by  water  we 
spent  as  little  time  below  as  we  could  help  in  locating  staterooms, 
selecting  our  saloon  places  and  depositing  baggage,  for  we  were 
eager  to  get  on  deck  to  obtain  a  view  of  the  shore-line  before  the 
shadows  of  night  would  creep  down  the  sides  of  the  great  mountains, 
and  envelop  the  scenery  in  a  robe  of  darkness. 

The  sun  was  sloping  in  the  sky,  rolling  his  golden  wheel  down 
the  western  arch,  soon  to  sink  in  burnished  splendor  beneath  the 
calm  waters  of  the  Pacific.  The  glory  of  the  dying  radiance  re- 
flected a  wonderful  beauty  on  sea  and  shore,  limning  a  picture  which 
could  never  be  transferred  to  canvas — a  picture  which  thrilled  us 
with  rapture  as  we  gazed  on  the  delicate  coloring,  so  wonderfully 
relieved  here  and  there  by  the  beautiful  traceries  which  mingled 
their  effect  with  the  sunset  glow,  both  on  the  water  and  on  the  land. 
It  was  surely  a  scene  to  elevate  the  soul  and  fill  it  with  reverence  and 
adoration  of  the  Great  Being  who  everywhere  displays  His  power 
and  majesty  to  impress  His  creatures  with  their  own  insignificance 
in  face  of  the  enternal  grandeur  and  force  of  Nature,  and  to  make 
them  realize  at  the  same  time  their  dependenc  upon  Him  in  all 
places  and  at  all  times. 

In  the  waning  light  we  could  see  large  flocks  of  aquatic  birds  seek- 
ing their  roosts  of  rest  for  the  night,  some  circling  round  and  round 
in  their  flight,  but  with  each  revolution  getting  nearer  to  the  coast, 
others  diving  to  the  surface  of  the  water  to  rise  again  on  lazy  pinions 
as  they  winged  themselves  nearer  to  the  land.  There  were  cormor- 
ants, gulls,  divers  and  a  few  of  the  big  petrels  or  "bone-breakers" 
which  generally  keep  farther  south  than  this  latitude.  Some  of  our 
passengers  who  laid  claim  to  a  knowledge  of  bird  lore  maintained 
they  could  distinguish  one  or  two  of  the  great  albatrosses  of  the 
Southern  seas,  but  doubtless  they  were  mistaken,  and  the  birds  they 
mistook  for  albatrosses  were  but  large  specimens  of  the  petrel  fam- 
ily, "the  mariner's  warning  birds,"  for  albatrosses  are  never  seen 
ashore,  except  on  the  barren  Aatartic  islands  where  they  breed. 
The  giant  mottle-brown  pelicans,  with  their  great  sack  pouches  and 
long  wings,  especially  drew  our  attention  as  they  slowly-flapped 
their  way  to  the  shore. 

The  last  of  the  feathery  sea-wanderers  had  disappeared  in  the 
oncoming  shadows  when  the  dinner-bell  called  us  away,  but  it  was 
not  long  before  we  were  again  pacing  the  deck,  looking  up  at  the 
brilliant  constellations  of  stars  studding  the  southern  heavens,  twink- 


292  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

ling  in  the  cloudless  cerulean  dome  of  sky  and  seeming  like  myriad 
eyes  turned  toward  earth  and  sea  in  an  eternal  night-watch  over  the 
scenes  upon  which  they  had  gazed  from  the  beginning  of  the  ages. 
Our  old  friends  of  northern  latitudes,  the  Great  Bear  or,  as  we  more 
familiarly  know  it,  the  Plow,  Orion,  the  Pleiades  and  the  many 
others  which  circle  around  Polaris,  had  long  since  disappeared  from 
view  but  we  welcomed  the  new  wanderers  of  space  which  riveted 
our  attention  on  account  of  their  strangeness  and  appealed  to  us 
with  an  irresistible  interest.  The  beautiful  and  much  heralded  con- 
stellation of  the  Southern  Cross,  the  glory  of  the  southern  sky,  can 
be  seen  in  this  region  with  clear  distinctness.  In  the  early  ages  this 
constellation  was  visible  as  far  north  as  Southern  Europe,  but  owing 
to  the  i-recession  of  the  equinoxes  it  gradually  receded.  Now  it 
should  be  observed  first  about  the  locality  of  the  Tropic  of  Cancer 
or  23^  degrees  north  latitude,  but  on  account  of  the  dimness  which 
encircles  the  horizon  it  does  not  come  into  view  until  the  voyager 
approaches  much  nearer  to  the  equator.  From  such  location  it  ap- 
pears to  gradually  creep  up  the  heavenly  arch  until  finally  when  one 
reaches  the  latitude  of  southern  South  America  and  Australia  it  is 
almost  in  the  zenith  pointing  to  the  South  polar  star.  We  viewed 
it  with  much  interest  for  we  had  heard  of  it  so  often,  and,  besides, 
it  recalled  to  many  of  us  bygone  days  of  boyhood  when  we  first 
learned  of  it  through  the  school-books  in  our  Northern  homes. 

The  view  which  captivated  us  soon  after  setting  out  from  the 
harbor  of  Mollendo  was  not  a  presage  of  what  we  were  to  experi- 
ence on  our  trip  down  the  coast  of  Chile.  The  glamor  of  the  sunset 
and  the  picture  it  presented  of  seascape  and  landscape  was  by  no 
means  a  harbinger  of  what  was  to  follow.  No  panorama  of  suc- 
cessive beauties  was  to  be  unfolded  for  our  delight  and  admiration. 
Far  from  it.  Though  in  places  the  scenery  is  bold  and  striking,  for 
the  most  part  the  shore-line  of  the  narrow  republic  is  bare,  barren 
and  desolate.  In  fact  Chile  begins  in  a  desert,  and  a  desert,  more 
or  less,  it  continues  for  over  a  thousand  miles  between  the  Cordil- 
leras and  the  ocean.  A  great  part  of  this  desert  is  an  arid  waste, 
useless,  ugly,  repellent,  but  the  remainder  of  it  is  a  profitable  desert 
as  we  shall  see  later  on. 

The  country  is  three  thousand  miles  long  and  not  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  breadth  at  the  widest  part,  in  some  places 
the  strip  narrows  to  a  distance  of  less  than  fifty  miles  across.  The 
total  population  is  about  3,300,000. 

On  the  east  side  the  massive  ranges  of  the  Cordilleras  of  the 


ALONG  THE  CHILEAN  COAST  293 

Andes  bound  it,  separating  it  for  a  short  distance  in  the  north  from 
BoHvia  and  for  the  long  remainder  of  the  way  from  Argentina. 

Jutting  up  from  the  western  coast  and  parallel  to  the  Cordilleras 
runs  a  chain  of  hills  from  2,000  to  3,000  feet  in  height,  between  the 
foot  of  which  and  the  ocean  the  ground  is  rough  and  rugged,  save 
for  a  few  valleys  through  which  some  of  the  short  mountain  rivers 
make  their  way  to  the  sea. 

The  depression  which  lies  between  the  coast  hills  and  the  Cordil- 
leras is  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  wide,  in  some  places  very  hilly, 
in  others  spreading  out  into  plains.  This  space  between  the  hills  and 
the  mountains  may  be  said  to  constitute  the  real  Chile,  for  in  it  most 
of  the  population  dwell,  the  small  remainder  being  found  in  the  few 
little  maritime  towns  scattered  along  the  coast. 

"Fields,"  as  applied  to  the  areas  containing  nitrates,  is  a  mislead- 
ing term.  All  is  a  miserable  looking  waste,  an  arid  land  without  a 
blade  of  grass  or  vegetation,  only  a  stunted  scrub  cropping  up  at 
rare  intervals. 

But  the  region  is  very  unlike  a  desert  in  the  signs  of  life  it  dis- 
plays ;  groups  of  workmen,  bronzed  and  muscular,  can  be  seen  scat- 
tered over  the  desolate  plain,  laboriously  wielding  picks  or  boring 
holes  in  the  rocky  surface  for  dynamite  charges,  while  others  load 
lumps  of  rock  on  trucks  which  run  on  narrow  gauge  lines  to  the 
,  officinas,  that  is,  the  places  where  the  rock  is  ground  and  prepared 
for  commerce.  These  officinas  are  large  factory  buildings,  sur- 
rounded by  the  huts  of  the  laborers  and  the  more  pretentious  dwell- 
ings of  the  managers  and  overseers. 

The  preparation  of  the  nitrate  is  intricate,  involving  several  proc- 
esses which  are  complicated  in  the  extreme.  The  rock  from  which 
it  is  obtained  is  called  caliche  and  is  of  different  colors, — white,  yel- 
low, gray,  violet  and  sometimes  green.  In  places  it  is  found  above 
ground,  but  generally  it  lies  from  two  to  three  feet  below  the  sur- 
face, covered  with  a  strata  of  rock  salt  on  the  top.  It  has  then  to 
be  blasted  out  with  dynamite  and  other  explosives. 

When  brought  to  the  factory  great  crushers  break  the  lumps  into 
small  pieces  which,  by  means  of  inclined  tubes,  are  dumped  into  large 
tanks  of  boiling  water.  The  degree  of  temperature  is  so  regulated 
that  the  water  acts  on  the  mass  to  the  greatest  advantage.  It  is 
passed  from  tank  to  tank,  according  to  certain  requirements,  and 
finally  the  fluid  is  drawn  off  into  shallow  iron  vats  constructed  for 
the  purpose.  Nearly  all  the  nitrate  of  soda  in  the  rock  passes  off  in 
solution  with  the  fluid.     In  the  dry  air  and  with  the  fierce  heat  of 


294  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

the  sun  the  Hquid  soon  evaporates,  and  when  the  residue  is  exposed 
for  a  certain  length  of  time  it  crystaUizes  into  rhombohedral  forms 
which  constitute  saltpeter  or  nitrate  of  soda.  This  is  shoveled  upon 
drying  boards  where  it  is  allowed  to  lie  for  days  in  the  strong  sun- 
light, when  it  is  sorted  according  to  quality  and  put  up  in  bags  to 
be  hauled  down  the  railway  to  the  nitrate  ports  for  exportation. 
Repeated  crystallization  will  purify  the  article  to  a  great  degree  of 
fineness.  As  is  very  well  known,  the  crude  nitrate  for  the  most  part 
IS  used  for  fertilizing  purposes,  to  give  back  the  proper  constituents 
to  exhausted  soils.  The  finest  grade  goes  to  the  powder-mills  and 
to  aid  in  the  manufacture  of  high  explosives,  while  the  intermediate 
quality  is  sent  to  the  chemical  works,  to  form  the  base  of  different 
compounds. 

A  very  valuable  by-product  of  nitrate  is  iodine,  which  is  obtained 
as  a  precipitate  from  the  nitrate  liquor  through  the  agency  of  the 
bisulphide  of  soda.  At  first  it  appears  as  a  black  mass  which,  when 
washed  and  filtered,  is  passed  through  iron  retorts  to  heat.  The 
heat  causes  it  to  turn  into  vapor,  which  is  conducted  through  fireclay 
pipes  where  it  again  condenses  into  crystals  of  a  beautiful  violet 
color,  which  are  the  chief  source  of  the  world's  supply  of  iodine. 

The  barren  repulsive  wastes  from  which  the  nitrate  is  obtained 
are  called  "pampas"  in  this  part  of  Chile,  but  why  this  term  is  used 
is  a  mystery  to  me,  as  in  the  general  acceptation  of  the  word  it  means 
undulating  plains  covered  with  verdure  and  vegetation.  There  is 
no  vegetation  whatever  on  the  Chilean  "pampas,"  in  fact  not  a 
green  thing  nor  a  sign  of  natural  life  springing  from  the  arid  sur- 
face, but  everything  dull,  dead  and  inert  matter. 

As  nothing  grows  for  human  sustenance  and  no  water  is  to  be 
found,  the  nitrate  laborers  have  to  depend  for  food  and  drink  on 
the  supplies  brought  up  from  the  nitrate  ports.  These  are  primitive 
looking  little  towns  constructed  of  one-story  lumber  shacks  very 
much  like  those  of  the  mining  encampments  of  the  West  of  our  own 
country.  The  roofs  are  of  galvanized  iron,  which  draw  the  strong 
rays  of  the  sun  in  this  rainless  region  and  make  the  inside  a  very 
reservoir  of  sickening,  stifling,  heat  and  bodily  discomforts.  The 
streets,  though  wide,  are  full  of  dust  and  sand,  which  penetrate  into 
ears,  mouth  and  nostrils,  rendering  breathing  difficult  at  times.  The 
whole  person  becomes  covered  as  it  were  with  a  hideous  brown  mask, 
the  fine  particles  sift  into  the  hair  of  the  head  and  eyebrows,  giving 
an  itching  sensation  and  causing  an  all  round  feeling  of  misery.  So 
great  is  the  heat  reflected  from  the  vast  area  of  surrounding  desert 


295 


ALONG  THE  CHILEAN  COAST  297 

that  one  feels  as  if  pent  up  in  a  furnace  house  with  every  exit  of 
rehef  closed.  Yet  in  these  places  men  congregate  from  all  parts  of 
the  world,  willing  to  undergo  suffering  and  privations  for  the  sake  of 
the  money  to  be  made  in  trade.  Many  get  the  money  but  the  price 
they  pay  is  dear. 

There  are  Englishmen,  Germans,  Frenchmen  and  Italians  with 
not  a  few  from  the  United  States,  besides  representatives  from 
other  countries  in  less  numbers.  In  some  of  the  towns  the  foreigners 
are  in  excss  of  the  natives. 

There  are  many  stores,  too  many  seemingly  for  the  population, 
but  the  wants  of  the  workers  in  the  nitrate  fields  and  others  beyond 
the  hills  have  to  be  considered.  A  motley  collection  of  wares  and 
necessaries  are  exhibited.  The  greater  part  of  the  food  suppHes  con- 
sist  of  canned  stuff  imported  from  many  countries — bacon  from 
Chicago,  sausages  from  Germany,  macaroni  from  Italy,  sardines 
and  anchovies  from  the  Mediterranean,  codfish  from  Norway,  tea 
and  rice  from  China,  and  coffee  from  Brazil.  There  is  always  a 
plentiful  supply  of  brandy,  rum  and  other  strong  drinks,  for  de- 
spite the  great  heat,  both  the  natives  and  foreigners  freely  indulge 
in  the  cup  that  cheers  and  at  the  same  time  inebriates.  Fresh  water 
has  to  be  piped  long  distances  to  these  nitrate  towns.  Formerly  sail- 
ing vessels  brought  it  from  "wet  ports"  up  the  coast,  and  at  times 
it  sold  as  high  as  $2  per  gallon.  Now  the  supply  comes  from  the 
Andes  in  iron  pipes.  The  conduit  which  supplies  Iquique  is  80 
miles  long,  but  Antofagasta  can  boast  an  aqueduct  100  miles  longer, 
probably  the  longest  in  the  world. 

Wearing  apparel,  household  appurtenances,  tools,  implements  and 
machinery  have  also  to  be  imported.  Cottons  and  woolens,  china, 
crockery  and  glassware  come  from  Germany ;  boots  and  shoes  from 
France ;  drugs,  chemicals  and  domestic  hardware  such  as  cutlery, 
from  England,  and  jewelry  from  Switerland.  Most  of  the  ma- 
chinery for  the  nitrate  factories  comes  from  the  United  States  and  is 
set  up  by  skilled  workmen  specially  brought  from  the  same  place  for 
the  purpose.  With  the  exception  of  a  few  articles  in  the  way  of 
canned  goods  this  is  about  all  the  patronage  this  country  gets,  as 
Europeans  monopolize  the  great  bulk  of  all  the  imports. 

Besides  nitrate,  Chile  is  rich  in  several  other  minerals.  It  is  the 
second  largest  silver  mining  country  in  South  America  and  the  third 
largest  copper  producer  in  the  world.  There  are  extensive  deposits 
of  calcium  borate  in  the  province  of  Antofagasta.  The  manganese 
mines  of  Coquimbo  and  Atacama  yield  about  25,000  tons  yearly. 


298  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Gold  is  found  both  in  the  north  and  south.  There  are  several  large 
coal  veins,  and  quicksilver  and  lead  are  mined  in  paying  quantities. 

I  would  like  to  treat  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  Chile  at  greater 
length,  but  I  must  return  to  our  voyage  down  the  coast. 

The  first  port  of  any  interest  or  importance  south  of  Mollendo  is 
Arica.  This  town  lies  close  to  the  shore  at  the  foot  of  a  barren 
bluff,  and  from  the  deck  of  our  vessel  looked  rather  inviting,  but  we 
are  constrained  to  say  that  the  look  was  deceptive  as  was  proved  by  a 
sultry,  unpleasant  walk  through  its  badly  paved  streets,  where  the 
glare  reflected  from  the  different  colored  walls  struck  painfully  on 
the  eyes  and  made  us  hasten  our  steps  to  get  away  from  it. 

There  are  some  pleasant  spots,  however,  in  Arica.  The  tiny  plaza 
was  delightfully  cool  and  refreshing,  with  its  profusion  of  tropical 
flowers  and  green  plants  looking  like  a  veritable  bower  of  beauty  in 
an  ugly  setting.  Indeed  it  was  the  only  spot  where  we  came  upon 
a  little  green  to  diversify  the  gray  and  sultry  sameness  of  the  whole 
place. 

Arica  is  not  unimportant  from  an  historical  standpoint.  It  for- 
merly belonged  to  Peru,  but  was  taken  by  the  Chileans  during  the 
war  of  1880.  There  was  a  fierce  battle  at  this  place  and  a  horrible 
massacre.  The  Peruvian  soldiers,  with  their  batteries,  had  taken 
up  a  position  on  the  Morro,  a  high  promontory  at  one  side  of  the 
town,  thinking  that  in  such  a  commanding  place  they  could  defend 
the  harbor  from  any  attack,  but  the  Chileans,  getting  information  of 
the  strategy  of  their  enemy,  landed  a  mighty  force  a  few  miles  lower 
down  on  the  coast,  which  marched  in  the  night  along  the  beach  and 
suddenly  attacked  the  Peruvians  in  the  rear  who,  cut  off  from  any 
escape  landward,  fell  in  hundreds  in  the  terrible  onslaught.  The 
Peruvian  commander  and  many  of  the  oflicers  hurled  themselves 
over  the  promontory  to  the  jagged  rocks  below  rather  than  fall  into 
the  vengeful  hands  of  the  infuriated  Chileans. 

Arica  has  been  unfortunate  as  the  victim  of  several  earthquakes 
and  other  catastrophes.  In  1868  it  was  almost  wholly  washed  away 
by  a  tidal  wave  in  which  thousands  perished,  and  in  which  two 
United  States  men-of-war,  lying  in  the  harbor  at  the  time,  were 
dashed  to  kindling  wood.  One  of  them  was  actually  swept  over  the 
houses  of  the  town  and  all  on  board,  officers  and  men,  lost  their 
lives.     Few  escaped  on  the  other. 

There  is  a  great  highway  from  Arica  into  the  interior  of  Peru  and 
Bolivia  which  was  constructed  by  the  Incas  and  has  been  used  for 
hundreds  of  years  as  a  route  of  travel.    Trains  of  laden  llamas,  bur- 


299 


ALONG  THE  CHILEAN  COAST  301 

ros  and  mules  can  be  seen  continually  on  this  road  carrying  foreign 
merchandise  into  the  interior  and  bringing  out  the  products  of  the 
mines,  forests  and  pastures. 

Vegetables  and  fruits  are  brought  in  from  the  Azapa  valley,  lying 
near.  When  we  came  back  to  our  vessel  we  found  market-women 
thronging  the  decks  offering  their  wares — russet  pears,  tempting 
peaches,  large  and  luscious  grapes  hanging  in  clusters  and  of  all 
colors,  red-cheeked  apples  and  big  melons  which  would  have  made 
the  teeth  of  a  Georgia  *'nigger"  water  with  anticipation. 

Arica  is  now  the  port  for  Tacna,  and  soon  it  will  be  a  place  of 
more  importance  than  it  has  been,  for  there  is  a  hundred  mile  rail- 
road now  in  course  of  construction  from  it  to  La  Paz  which  will 
open  up  easier  commercial  relations  with  Bolivia  and  Peru. 

We  made  a  short  call  at  Pisagua  and  next  came  to  Iquique,  the 
port  and  capital  of  the  Chilean  territory  of  Tarapaca,  which  also 
belonged  to  Peru  until  1880.  It  would  be  hard  to  imagine  a  more 
desolate  or  forlorn-looking  place.  It  lies  at  the  base  of  a  barren 
rocky  wall,  more  than  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  with  no  vegeta- 
tion or  color  surrounding  it  to  relieve  the  eye,  not  even  a  blade  of 
grass,  nor  would  there  be  any  water  but  for  the  pipe  system  already 
alluded  to  which  connects  with  the  springs  of  Pica  away  up  in  the 
mountains.  Yet,  despite  the  barrenness  of  the  surroundings  and 
the  desolate  look  it  wears,  Iquique  does  an  enormous  trade.  About 
$60,000,000  worth  of  saltpeter  and  almost  $3,000,000  worth  of 
iodine  are  shipped  from  this  port  annually.  Here  are  also  the  amal- 
gamating works  which  were  run  in  connection  with  the  neighboring 
silver  mines,  formerly  operated  by  the  Spanish  Government  but 
filled  up  during  the  revolution.  Iquique  at  present  has  a  population 
of  more  than  30,000. 

Antofagasta,  another  of  these  desert  coast  towns,  was  our  next 
stopping-place.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  province  of  the  same  name, 
and  also  does  a  large  export  trade.  Besides  being  one  of  the  nitrate 
ports  it  holds  first  importance  in  the  copper  exporting  trade,  some 
of  the  ore  running  25  per  cent  pure.  But  probably  its  chief  dis- 
tinction lies  in  the  fact  that  it  is  near  to  the  apparently  inexhaustible 
borax  fields.  The  railroad  from  Antofagasta  into  Bolivia  runs  for 
twenty  miles  along  the  edge  of  the  great  borax  lake  of  Ascotan  which 
has  enough  of  this  material  to  supply  all  the  laundries  of  the  world 
for  many  a  year  to  come.  Several  volcanic  peaks  rise  behind  Anto- 
fagasta, from  which  a  sulphurous  vapor  is  belched  forth  that  can 
be  seen  from  a  long  distance.  There  are  large  deposits  of  pure  native 


302  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

sulphur  in  this  neighborhood  in  the  forest  range  of  the  Andes  and 
some  enterprising  companies  are  doing  a  good  business  in  this  nat- 
ural product. 

Antofogasta  also  came  under  the  rule  of  Chile  during  the  war. 
Its  present  population  is  20,000.  Like  MoUendo  it  has  a  very  bad 
landing-place.  The  approach  to  it  is  attended  with  much  difficulty 
and  often  danger. 

The  day  following  our  departure  from  Antofogasta  we  made  the 
trim  little  port  of  Taltal,  a  small  town  having  valuable  copper  mines 
with  smelting  works  in  the  neighborhood.  The  harbor  is  among 
the  best  on  the  coast  and  affords  good  protection  for  trading  vessels. 

We  made  a  call  at  Valdera,  once  a  flourishing  town,  but  now  a 
place  of  little  importance. 

From  here  we  had  a  long  run  until  we  came  to  the  port  of  Co- 
quimbo,  a  town  which  lies  two  hundred  miles  north  of  Valparaiso 
near  the  mouth  of  a  river  bearing  the  same  name.  Five  miles  farther 
up  the  coast,  on  the  same  bay,  we  passed  La  Serena,  said  to  be  the 
oldest  Spanish  town  in  Chile.  It  is  built  somewhat  back  from  the 
sea,  because  its  founders  dreaded  the  English  and  Dutch  maraud- 
ers who  scoured  this  coast  at  the  time  in  quest  of  prey  and  plunder. 
Coquimbo  is  also  an  old  settlement,  having  been  founded  as  far 
back  as  1544,  near  the  site  of  one  of  the  then  gold  mines. 

Though  the  population  is  only  10,000,  it  is  quite  a  flourishing 
place.  It  thrives  on  the  large  trade  supplied  by  the  mines  in  its 
immediate  proxmity.  Here  is  one  of  the  richest  copper  deposits  of 
the  whole  continent.  The  mineral  is  said  to  be  inexhaustible  in  this 
region,  and  is  found  almost  pure  native.  Hides  and  skins  are  also 
exported,  the  latter  very  largely.  The  greatest  supply  of  chin- 
chilla skins  come  from  this  port.  Although  it  is  said  the  little 
Andean  rodents  which  furnish  them  are  becoming  scarcer,  it  seems 
there  is  no  diminution  in  the  shipments  of  skins  from  Coquimbo. 

The  harbor  is  part  of  a  wide  bay,  and  in  fact  is  the  best  between 
Guayaquil  and  Valparaiso.  This  must  not  be  taken  to  mean  that  it 
is  an  excellent  port  of  accommodation  for  all  kinds  of  shipping, 
which  it  is  not.  It  can  only  be  called  good  by  comparison  with 
most  of  those  along  that  bleak  and  rocky  coast. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  Coquimbo  is  the  place  where  the 
slang  term  ''gringo"  originated.  A  few  English  sailors  in  a  happy 
mood  were  going  through  the  place  one  day,  singing  the  old  song, — 
"Green  Grow  the  Rushes,  Oh!"  and  probably  in  doing  so  their 


ALONG  THE  CHILEAN  COAST  305 

phonetic  utterance  of  the  words  was  not  too  clear  or  distinct.  At 
any  rate  ''green  grows"  sounded  to  the  native  ears  Hke  "gringos," 
hence  from  this  time  all  foreigners  have  been  styled  "Gringos." 

On  a  cool  April  morning  we  reached  the  harbor  of  the  commercial 
capital,  not  only  of  Chile,  but  of  all  western  South  America — Val- 
paraiso the  busiest  emporium  on  the  coast. 


CHAPTER  XII 
IN  BUSY  VALPARAISO 

THE   CHIEF   SEAPORT   OF   THE    WESTERN    COAST 

I  rose  early  the  morning  our  steamer  was  due  in  Valparaiso, 
for  I  was  eager  to  catch  a  view  of  this  wonderful  city,  hanging 
from  the  mountainsides  with  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  laving  its  feet 
as  they  sweep  around  the  semicircular  bay. 

I  had  some  ideas  of  a  terrestrial  paradise,  a  delightful  climate 
of  perpetual  sunshine  and  balmy  breezes,  of  orange  groves  filled 
with  birds  of  gorgeous  plumage — a  land  where  all  might  live  and  en- 
joy themselves  without  care  or  effort  among  the  beautiful  surround- 
ings prepared  by  the  lavish  hand  of  nature.  Most  of  us  are  accus- 
tomed at  times  to  dream  of  Southern  lands  as  homes  of  ideal  exis- 
tence, where  the  days  glide  imperceptibly  onward  amid  scenes  of 
universal  loveliness ;  where  peace  and  contentment  reign  and  where 
the  soul  can  be  soothed  and  comforted  and  the  cares  and  worries 
and  strifes  of  the  busy  outside  world  forgotten  in  such  delightful 
retreats.  But  the  reality  in  most  cases  very  quickly  dissillusions  us, 
the  dreams  dissolve  into  thin  air  like  shadows  before  the  sunhght, 
the  ideals  we  conjure  up  are  ruthlessly  shattered,  and  all  the  imagin- 
ings and  anticipations  in  which  we  fondly  indulge,  turn  into  so  many 
idle  fancies  which  prove  wholly  unlike  the  surroundings  in  which  we 
find  ourselves.  Our  "Chateaux  en  Espagne," — castles  in  Spain, — 
videlicet,  castles  in  the  air,  totally  collapse  and  the  fairyland  they 
occupied  resolves  itself  into  an  ordinary  place  of  every-day  existence 
where  life  is  just  the  same  as  anywhere  else  under  similar  condi- 
tions. 

In  saying  this  I  do  not  mean  that  Valparaiso  is  the  same  as  any 
other  city — it  is  not.  I  merely  wish  to  convey  that  southern 
cities  and  lands  fall  short  of  our  anticipations,  and  that  the  realities 

306 


CHIEF  WESTERN  SEAPORT  307 

of  life  must  be  encountered  in  them  as  in  other  places.  There  is 
no  earthly  paradise,  at  least  I  have  seen  none  in  my  travels 
around  the  world.  Of  course  latitude  makes  a  wide  distinction  in 
scenery,  manner  of  living  and  general  conditions,  the  tropical  differ- 
ing much  from  the  temperate  regions  of  the  earth. 

Valparaiso  was  not  as  I  had  pictured  it,  not  a  bower  of  beauty 
beloved  of  the  gods,  not  a  realm  of  fascinating  joys  and  unalloyed 
delights,  not  a  region  to  entrance  the  eye  and  captivate  the  heart 
with  its  charms.  Nevertheless,  it  is  an  unique  and  an  interesting 
city,  very  different  from  our  northern  beehives  of  social  life  and 
commerce.  But  it  is  far  from  a  paradise,  though  its  name  implies 
the  word,  the  term  meaning  ''Valley  of  Paradise."  This  title  was 
conferred  upon  the  place  by  Juan  De  Saavedra,  who  came  upon  a 
little  Indian  village  here  in  1536.  He  simply  named  it  in  honor 
of  his  native  home  in  Old  Castile  without  any  regard  to  site  or  sur- 
roundings. It  is  not  in  a  valley  and  there  are  few,  if  any,  indica- 
tions in  sight  to  liken  it  to  the  conceptions  we  have  of  the  celestial 
abode  on  the  other  side  of  the  Great  Divide.  There  is  certainly  no 
other  city  in  the  world  having  a  similar  site.  Rome  sits  on  seven 
hills,  but  Valparaiso  covers  nineteen.  These  hills,  or  cerros,  as  they 
are  called  down  there,  are  composed  of  elevations  of  gneiss  and 
granite  and  range  from  30C  feet  to  1,100  feet  in  height,  some  of 
them  being  separated  by  deep  hollows  or  ravines  through  which 
little  streams  of  water  make  their  way  down  to  the  bay.  The  homes 
of  the  city  are  built  on  the  terraced  sides  of  these  cerros,  which  are 
connected  by  handsome  bridges  and  made  accessible  from  the  streets 
by  inclined  railways,  stairways  and  elevators,  known  as  ascensors 
in  the  vernacular  of  the  inhabitants.  The  dwelling-houses  are  mostly 
of  the  one  and  two  story  type,  constructed  of  adobe  and  bamboo- 
lath,  plastered  over  to  represent  stone  and  roofed  with  tile.  The 
adobes  are  large  bricks  made  of  a  mixture  of  clay  and  straw  dried 
in  the  sun.  They  are  about  eighteen  inches  long,  nine  wide  and 
three  or  four  thick.  The  tile-roofing  is  made  of  half-cylinders  of 
pottery  ,about  eighteen  inches  long  by  eight  in  diameter.  The  slop- 
ing sides,  leading  from  the  eaves  to  the  apex  or  ridge,  are  composed 
of  an  initial  or  inner  sheeting  of  seasoned  boards  which  is  coated 
with  thick  mud ;  while  it  is  yet  of  a  soft  consistence  the  tiles  are  laid 
on  it  in  courses  with  the  concave  sides  up,  the  upper  tiles  lapping 
over  the  under.  On  the  edges  the  tiles  are  laid  converse,  while  the 
ridge  is  formed  by  a  row  laid  close  together.  They  are  of  a  reddish- 
brown  color,  and  when  the  sunlight  strikes  them  from  a  favorable 


308  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

angle  the  effect  is  somewhat  pleasing.  To  me  these  tile  roofs  of  the 
old  Spanish-American  cities  have  a  peculiar  charm;  not  only  are 
they  picturesque  amid  modern  surroundings^  but  they  always  remind 
me  of  pleasant  days  spent  'neath  cloudless  skies  in  the  sunny  clime 
of  Andalusian  Spain. 

The  streets  in  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  adjacent  to  the  wharves, 
are  straight,  but  those  higher  up  are  mere  winding  roads  climbing 
the  steep  ascents  of  the  hills  and  terminating  in  lofty  summits  from 
which  a  splendid  view  can  be  obtained  of  the  harbor  with  its  infinit-e 
variety  of  shipping  until  the  perspective  is  lost  in  the  horizon  of 
waters  stretching  away  in  the  mists  of  distance  to  the  desert  island 
of  Juan  Fernandez,  the  celebrated  home  of  Robinson  Crusoe,  which 
lies  in  a  direct  line  some  600  miles  to  the  west  of  Valparaiso. 

The  level  ground  along  the  bay  constitutes  but  a  narrow  strip,  in 
some  places  wide  enough  for  four  parallel  streets,  but  in  other  places 
so  narrow  that  there  is  barely  room  for  two ;  nowhere  is  it  more 
than  half  a  mile  in  width.  Much  of  this  narrow  strip  was  made 
by  filling  up  the  low  ground  along  the  bay  and  protecting  it  from 
the  sea  by  stone  walls  and  iron  rails.  This  involved  a  great  deal  of 
expense. 

For  the  purposes  of  municipal  and  administrative  government  the 
city  is  diyided  into  four  sections,  and  these  correspond  to  the  physi- 
cal divisions.  What  is  known  as  the  Port,  or  first  section,  covers 
nine  of  the  cerros  or  hills  and  takes  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the 
city  , extending  from  the  bay  inland  and  from  the  western  limits  ol 
the  municipality  to  the  Plaza  Del  Orden  or  Pinto.  The  largest 
wharves  are  in  this  section  and  consequently  most  of  the  shipping 
is  carried  on  in  this  part  of  the  city.  It  contains  many  important 
buildings  and  offices  such  as  the  Intendencia,  the  Old  San  Salvador 
Church,  the  Naval  Academy,  the  Post-ofiice,  the  Custom-house  and 
stores,  and  quite  a  number  of  hotels  and  general  warehouses.  There 
are  also  some  good  family  residences  on  the  higher  streets. 

The  second  section  is  that  of  San  Juan  de  Dios  which  lies  to  the 
east  of  the  Port  and  extends  as  far  as  the  Plaza  Victoria.  Within 
its  confines  are  Espiritu  Santo  Church  and  the  Victoria  Theater. 
In  this  part  are  also  situated  the  principal  cemeteries. 

The  Del  Almendal  portion  of  the  city  reaches  from  the  Plaza 
Victoria  on  the  west  to  Avenida  de  las  Delicias  on  the  east.  It 
possesses  the  widest  strip  of  level  land,  and  its  streets  are  broader 
and  more  regular  than  those  of  the  other  sections.  It  contains  many 
large  public  and  private  buildings,  including  Doce  Apostoles  Church 


HARBOR  VIEW,  VALPARAISO 


VALPARAISO  AND  HARBOR 


;309 


CHIEF  WESTERN  SEAPORT  311 

and  the  Teatro  del  Odeon.  Many  beautiful  gardens  can  be  seen  here 
and  there,  refreshing  the  eye  and  relieving  the  sameness  of  the 
surrounding  buildings. 

The  fourth  division  of  the  city  is  that  known  as  the  Baron,  and 
takes  in  all  that  part  lying  northeast  of  the  Plaza  de  las  Delicias. 
Owing  to  the  high  hills  the  streets  are  very  irregular  in  this  quarter; 
nevertheless,  the  principal  railroad  station  of  Valparaiso  is  located 
within  its  boundaries,  although  the  railway  extends  along  the  whole 
water-front. 

Calle  Victoria  is  the  principal  thoroughfare.  It  is  a  wide  street 
stretching  along  the  bay  from  one  end  of  the  city  to  the  other.  It 
is  lined  with  handsome  government  buildings,  hotels,  banks,  offices 
and  stores.  The  majority  of  these  edifices  are  built  of  brick  and  are 
three  and  four  stories  in  height;  carved  facades  are  a  prominent 
feature.  All  the  stores  have  heavy  plate-glass  windows  and  are 
well-stocked  with  merchandise  of  as  good  a  quality  and  as  great  a 
variety  as  any  I  have  seen  in  the  boasted  emporiums  of  the  North. 
Indeed  it  is  to  be  questioned  if  there  is  any  other  city  in  the  world 
of  equal  population  that  has  so  many  fine  shops  with  so  varied 
and  valuable  assortments  of  goods  as  has  Valparaiso.  Several  of 
them  make  a  most  lavish  display  of  costly  articles  and  wares  from 
fine  silks  and  diamonds  to  the  latest  fads  of  fashion  imported  from 
the  European  capitals.  Of  course  there  are  no  large  department 
stores  to  monopolize  custom,  consequently  the  individual  stores 
carrying  one  line  of  goods  always  do  a  large  business,  for  the  people 
are  in  fairly  good  circumstances,  though  the  city  has  not  as  yet 
fully  recovered  from  the  enormous  losses  entailed  by  the  terrible 
earthquake  of  1906.  Prosperity,  however,  before  that  disaster,  gave 
them  extravagant  tastes  which  they  still  make  efforts  to  gratify  in 
the  way.  of  fine  apparel,  adornments  and  in  good  living  as  well.  Be- 
sides, there  is  a  large  wealthy  foreign  element  who  live  high  and 
indulge  themselves  with  all  that  money  can  afford. 

Some  of  the  private  residences  are  palatial  in  their  proportions, 
adornments  and  general  surroundings.  Capitalists,  bankers  and 
merchants  spare  no  expense  in  decorating  and  furnishing  their 
homes;  the  inside  of  many  are  as  gorgeously  and  sumptuously 
fitted  out  as  any  of  the  traditional  castles  of  European  lands.  Life 
runs  as  high  here  as  in  New  York  or  the  gayest  capitals  of  the  Old 
World.  There  are  clubs  which  in  appointments  and  exclusiveness 
can  equal  those  of  London,  Paris  or  Berlin.  Of  these  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Albion,  the  Circulo  Espanol,  the  Circulo  Italiano  and  the 


312  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

Aleman.  The  first  is  the  gathering-place  for  the  English  beau 
monde,  and  here  is  retailed  the  latest  gossip  and  scandals  of  Rotten 
Row,  Piccadilly  and  the  Strand.  The  principal  English  papers  are 
received  here,  and  if  you  drop  in  of  an  evening  you  can  see  the 
well-fed,  well-groomed,  sleek  Britisher  pouring  over  the  columns  of 
The  Times  and  noting  the  figures  of  the  London  stock  exchange  as 
he  sips  his  wine  in  placid  contentment,  seemingly  pleased  with  him- 
self and  all  the  world  besides.  Or  you  can  note  the  younger  dandy 
from  "dear  h'old  Lunnon,"  twirling  his  mustache  and  giving  his 
attention  to  the  farcical  cartoons  of  Punch  or  the  elaborate  illus- 
trations of  the  Graphic  and  Sphere. 

The  city  is  well  supplied  with  public  buildings  which,  apart  from 
the  useful  and  necessary  purposes  they  serve,  add  much  to  the  attrac- 
tiveness of  the  place.  These  include  two  public  libraries,  well 
stocked  with  a  goodly  collection  of  historical  and  miscellaneous 
works,  and  a  museum  of  natural  history,  in  which  are  stored  valu- 
able relics  of  the  past  as  well  as  rare  specimens  of  the  fauna  and 
flora  of  the  country;  there  are  also  curios  from  other  lands  and 
exhibits  of  the  geological  formation  of  the  continent.  Eighteen 
churches  give  the  inhabitants  opportunity  of  religious  worship  to 
which  they  are  naturally  mclined,  for  Chile  is  a  land  of  intense 
devotion  and  loyalty  to  the  doctrines  handed  down  through  cen- 
turies of  vicissitudes  from  father  to  son,  since  the  days  when  the 
Spanish  invaders  planted  the  Cross  on  the  mountain-tops  and  called 
on  the  brown-skinned  Children  of  the  Sun  to  bow  down  in  lowly 
reverence  before  the  symbol  of  Christian  redemption. 

Four  of  the  churches  are  consecrated  to  Protestant  worship, 
though  the  state  religion  and  that  of  the  vast  bulk  of  the  people  is 
Roman  Catholic.  These  churches  are  but  sparsely  attended,  and  the 
worshipers  are  almost  exclusively  composed  of  foreigners,  especially 
English.  Protestant  missionary  zeal  has  tried  and  is  trying  to  make 
converts  to  its  faith,  but  with  little  success  so  far.  The  priests 
have  an  all-powerful  influence  over  the  people,  and  old  traditions 
are  adhered  to  with  an  unyielding  tenacity. 

Four  hospitals  minister  tu  the  wants  of  the  sick  and  injured,  and 
the  physicians  and  surgeons  attached  to  these  are  well  qualified  in 
their  profession  and  quite  up  to  date  in  the  modern  march  of  medical 
and  surgical  science. 

The  dead  are  not  forgotten,  a  loving  care  follows  them  to  the 
tomb.  There  are  three  beautiful  cemeteries  and  tnese  silent  God's 
acres  are  adorned  with  all  the  loveliness  which  Art  can  lend  to 


CHIEF  WESTERN  SEAPORT  313 

Nature.  They  are  most  artistically  laid  out,  and  flowers — the  tender 
and  affectionate  tribute  of  the  living  to  the  dead,  emblematic  of 
hope  and  happiness — are  everywhere.  Tropical  exotics  seem  to  be 
a  fitting  incense  for  the  souls  who  have  gone  before.  Chaste  and 
beautiful  monuments  ,many  of  them  very  expensive,  guard  the  graves 
of  the  loved  ones,  typifying  the  love  and  lasting  consideration  of 
those  who  are  left  behind.  In  this  connection  I  should  say  that 
Tiany  funerals  in  Valparaiso  take  place  by  night.  There  is  a  city 
ordinance  which  compels  sepulture  within  twenty-four  hours  after 
death,  consequently  many  who  die  have  to  be  borne  to  the  grave 
in  the  hours  of  darkness.  Such  funerals  present  weird  and  curious 
sight,  with  the  flaring  torches  of  the  attendants,  the  variegated 
robes  of  the  priests,  and  the  chanting  of  the  mourners  which,  in  a 
measure,  reminded  me  of  the  drear  and  unearthly  Irish  caoine 
(keen)  I  had  heard  once  in  a  remote  district  of  Ireland  when  the 
old  women  poured  forth  their  wailings  of  grief  in  that  weird,  wild 
cry  whose  sad  and  sorrowful  refrain  almost  stills  the  heart  with 
its  cadence  of  woe  and  desolation. 

The  foreigner  sees  many  unaccustomed  sights  on  the  streets  of 
Valparaiso.  In  my  many  walks,  I  observed  strange  customs  and 
manners,  at  least  strange  to  me.  For  instance,  the  milkman  came 
along  with  his  horse  or  mule  to  which  was  attached  a  wooden  frame, 
from  which  dangled  queer  shaped  tin  cans  held  by  rawhide  and  from 
which  he  ladled  out  the  fluid  to  his  customers.  But  this  kind  of 
milkman  is  not  the  rarest  to  be  seen  on  the  streets.  There  are  others 
who  drive  before  them  cows,  mares,  asses  and  even  goats  for  the 
purposes  of  milking  the  animals  when  a  call  arises  for  a  supply.  The 
milk  is  certainly  fresh  and,  moreover,  there  is  no  chance  of  water- 
ing it  under  the  scrutinizing  eyes  of  the  purchasers,  therefore  the 
custom  has  its  advtanges. 

Other  street  sellers  who  excite  the  curiosity  of  strangers  are  the 
bread-men,  who  traverse  the  city  from  door  to  door  on  horseback, 
the  bread  being  carried  in  two  large  hide  panniers  on  either  side 
of  the  horse,  and  which  take  up  so  much  space  that  pedestrians  find 
some  difficulty  in  passing  by  in  the  narrow  thoroughfares. 

Most  of  the  side  streets  are  narrow  and  irregular,  and  these  are 
crowded  with  men  and  women  of  the  poorer  element,  and  in  addi- 
tion children  and  dogs  ad  nauseam.  The  motley  array  of  humans 
and  canines  jar  refined  feelings,  and  are  repulsive  to  the  susceptibili- 
ties of  the  fastidious  tourist.  In  fact  there  are  some  very  repellent 
aspects  in  these  congested  quarters.    As  you  pass  along  you  may  see 


314  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

members  of  families  arranging  their  toilets,  oblivious  of  outside  eyes 
and  regardless  of  the  common  laws  of  decency.  Visitors  do  not  sur- 
prise them  in  the  least  or  turn  them  from  the  ordinary  tenor  of  their 
ways.  To  my  disgust  I  saw  several  engaged  in  examining  or 
rather  searching  the  heads  of  their  friends  for  insects  of  the 
genus  pediculus  capitis.  Though  averse  to  terms  which  seem  to 
smack  of  pedantry  I  am  constrained  to  give  the  scientific  name  to 
the  itch  parasite  for  which  polite  and  clean  communities  have 
such  a  loathing.  Of  course  here  as  elsewhere  filth  engenders  the 
disgusting  pest.  One  is  glad  to  get  away  from  these  scenes  to  the 
wide  and  cleanly  thoroughfares,  such  as  the  Avenida  Brazil,  once  a 
shaded  boulevard,  but  now  a  fashionable  promenade,  where  the 
social  life  of  the  city  can  be  seen  at  its  best,  especially  in  the 
evenings. 

The  hill  promenades,  especially  the  one  to  the  naval  academy,  are 
delightful  and  are  also  much  frequented  by  the  elite  of  the  city. 
Probably  no  other  situation  in  the  world  affords  a  more  charming 
view  than  can  be  seen  from  these  hilly  eminences,  particularly  when 
the  rays  of  the  western  sun  is  gilding  the  bay  in  a  sheen  of 
golden  splendor,  intermingled  here  and  there  with  silvery  streaks 
as  some  vessel  or  craft  cuts  the  waters,  leaving  in  its  wake  a  line 
of  whitened  color  to  diversify  and  add  attraction  to  the  natural  pic- 
turesqueness  of  the  scene.  It  is  a  very  luxury  to  live  and  breathe 
in  this  soft  and  gentle  sunlight,  which  seems  to  wrap  city  and  land 
and  water  in  a  fond  embrace  ere  taking  farewell  for  the  night  of 
the  places  over  which  it  has  passed  in  its  sloping  course  to  the  hori- 
zon that  shuts  it  out  from  their  clasp  till  the  dawn  of  another  day. 
Amid  such  beauty  and  such  scenery  so  far  above  the  dust  and 
tumult  and  traffic  of  the  busy  city  lying  beneath,  one  forgets  the 
petty  cares  of  the  world  and  entertains  thoughts  of  higher  things 
which  lift  up  the  soul  to  a  plane  far  beyond  the  sordid  considerations 
of  earth  and  the  fleeting  affairs  of  men.  But  the  visitor  cannot  long 
indulge  in  his  own  communings  and  day-dreams  gazing  down  from 
the  hilltops, — the  busy  life  of  the  city  calls  him,  the  throbbing 
streets,  the  thronged  wharves  where  a  world's  commerce  is  un- 
loading, the  bustling  marts,  the  eager  crowds  of  men  and  women 
each  intent  upon  individual  pursuits — all  these  invite  the  sight- 
seers to  a  study  of  the  panorama  of  the  active  life  around  them. 

Valparaiso  has  at  present  a  population  of  about  150,000,  and 
is  by  far  the  busiest  and  most  important  port  on  the  west  coast 
of  the  Americas  from  the  Golden  Gate  to  the  Golden  Horn.     Its 


Or.D  HOUSKS,  \Al.!'.\RAISO 


A   RAVINE.    VALPARAISO 


315 


CHIEF  WESTERN  SEAPORT  317 

commerce  amounts  to  $175,000,000  annually.  It  is  the  terminus 
of  several  European  lines  of  steamers  via  the  strait  of  Magellan 
as  well  as  many  lines  from  Panama.  When  the  Canal  is  opened 
the  trade  is  sure  to  be  enormously  increased.  The  exports  now 
include  barley,  wheat,  beans,  bran,  hay,  clover-seed  and  a  number 
of  other  products  of  the  field,  for  there  is  a  rich  agricultural 
country  behind,  and  Valparaiso  is  the  port  of  outlet.  Then  there 
are  many  maufactories  in  and  around  the  city  which  add  to  the 
imports.  These  include  foundries  and  machine  shops,  shoe  factor- 
ies, tanneries,  stearine  candle  works,  soap  and  perfumery  works, 
flour  mills,  woodworking  plants,  carriage  and  furniture  manufact- 
ories, aerated  water  concerns,  chocolate  products  and  chemical  and 
drug   supplies. 

The  transportation  of  merchandise  from  the  factories  to  the 
wharves  and  of  nearly  all  small  freight  to  objective  points  through- 
out the  city  is  effected  by  means  of  enormous  ox-carts  drawn 
by  two  yoke  of  animals.  These  go  lumbering  along,  ponderous 
and  unsightly,  and  at  times  the  patient  oxen  have  much  to  do 
in  hauling  the  heavy  loads   when  a  steep   incline   is  encountered. 

As  to  family  "turn-outs"  for  pleasure-driving,  I  am  sorry  to 
say  the  Valparaisans  cannot  be  congratulated  on  their  conveyances, 
for  far  from  being  modern,  they  are  primitive  in  the  extreme, 
and  seem  to  fit  the  descriptions  we  have  of  the  kind  our  great- 
great-grandfathers  used,  long  before  the  spring  balance  was  in- 
vented and  when  spoked  wheels  had  just  come  into  service. 

Nearly  everybody  has  heard  of  the  girl  conductors  on  the  street 
cars.  This  innovation  was  brought  about  during  the  war  with 
Peru  when  the  army  required  the  services  of  all  able-bodied  men. 
These  conductors,  or  rather  conductresses,  serve  the  purpose  very 
well,  are  quick,  alert,  attentive  and  obliging.  The  uniforms  con- 
sist of  short  blue  skirts  and  bodices,  white  aprons  and  sailor  hats, 
and  these  give  the  young  women  quite  a  natty  and  pretty  appear- 
ance. But  the  girls  are  pretty  in  themselves.  Indeed  it  seems 
that  only  handsome  ones  are  chosen  for  the  work,  and  whether 
this  is  to  draw  masculine  traffic  or  for  the  sake  of  effect,  I  know 
not.  At  any  rate  1  do  know  that  the  cars  are  almost  constantly 
filled  with  young  men,  and  this  fact  looks  rather  suspicious  under 
the  circumstances.  "Where  there  is  honey,  there  will  the  bee  go." 
The  cars  are  "double-deckers"  and  the  fare  is  very  cheap  which, 
perhaps,  is  another  incentive  for  the  large  patronage  of  these  street 
railways.  A  ride  costs  but  five  cents,  which  is  equivalent  to  about 


318  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

a  cent-and-a-quarter  of  United  States  money.  It  may  be  here 
stated  that  the  currency  of  Chile  is  subject  to  fluctuation,  and 
this  is  a  drawback  to  the  commercial  prosperity  of  the  country. 
The  unit  of  value  is  the  peso,  generally  worth  about  25  cents,  but 
sometimes  it  goes  up  as  high  as  40  cents  and  comes  down  as  low  as 
15  cents. 

Most  of  the  streets  of  Valparaiso  are  paved  with  Belgian  blocks 
and  the  side-walks  are  well  flagged.  All  are  lighted  by  electricity, 
the  great  swinging  arc  lamps  on  the  higher  eminences  giving  a 
very  romantic  effect  at  night.  Seen  from  the  harbor  these  lights 
on  the  darkling  slope  of  the  mountain  face  appear  in  rows  one 
above  the  other,  presenting  such  a  unique  picture  that  it  lingers 
long  in  memory.  To  me  it  looked  like  a  scene  from  some  land 
of  enchantment,  conjured  up  by  magicial  art  to  dazzle  and  entrance. 

The  view  from  the  harbor  is  always  captivating,  whether  by  night 
or  day.  In  the  daytime,  when  the  atmosphere  is  clear  and  the  vault 
of  the  heavens  cloudless,  the  serrated  ridges  and  whitish  gray  sum- 
mits of  the  mighty  backbone  of  the  continent  can  be  seen  stand- 
ing out  in  relief  against  the  sky-line,  the  hoary  head  of  Acon- 
cagua, the  giant  of  the  Andes,  the  culminating  peak  of  the  great 
range,  towering  above  all,  seemingly  proclaiming  iself  the  mon- 
arch of  mountains,  crowned  by  the  everlasting  snows  of  time. 

The  harbor  is  always  a  scene  of  bustle  and  confusion.  Boxes, 
bales  and  crates  of  merchandise  litter  almost  every  corner,  and 
horses,  mules,  donkeys,  drays,  wagons  and  carts  add  to  the  general 
bustle  which,  however,  shows  the  busy  life  of  the  place  and  its  im- 
portance as  a  commercial  port.  The  flags  of  half  a  dozen  nations 
can  be  seen  on  the  bay  almost  any  day  in  the  year.  Large  vessels 
have  to  anchor  off  the  shore  in  from  100  to  180  feet  of  water,  and 
are  loaded  and  discharged  by  lighters.  Hundreds  of  these  lighters 
can  be  seen  plying  to  and  fro. 

The  bay  forms  a  crescent,  protected  on  the  south  and  west  by 
low  headlands  and  a  recently  completed  breakwater.  The  northern 
side  is  fully  exposed,  which  renders  shipping  dangerous  and  some- 
times impossible  when  the  ''Northers,"  as  they  are  called  there, 
sweep  down  on  the  place  in  the  winter  months. 

Encircling  the  beach  is  an  embankment  of  masonry  called  the 
Malecon,  which  considerably  broadens  the  water-front  and  at  the 
same  time  serves  as  a  protection  from  the  sea. 

Passengers  are  not  allowed  to  land  nor  can  boatmen  board  the 
vessel  until  the  captain  of  the  port  makes  his  inspection  and  gives 


CHIEF  WESTERN  SEAPORT  319 

a  permit.  This  is  the  rule  of  the  Customs.  The  morning  our 
steamer  came  into  the  harbor  we  were  glad  to  get  through  this 
official  ceremony.  After  our  belongings  were  examined  we  were 
allowed  to  land.  What  looked  like  a  Spanish  Armada  in  miniature 
surrounded  our  vessel  and  we  were  fortunate  in  getting  one  of  the 
government  boats  to  take  us  ashore. 

I  put  up  at  the  Royal  Hotel  during  my  visit  and  I  must  say 
I  found  the  cuisine  and  general  arrangements  very  good,  and  in 
addition  the  attendants  were  polite  and  abliging.  The  charge  was 
moderate.  For  two  dollars  gold  per  day  one  can  secure  good  ac- 
comodations, much  better  in  fact  than  in  the  hostelries  of  Peru  at 
three  times  the  amount.  The  tables  never  lack  a  supply  of  fresh 
vegetables  and  fruits.  These  come  up  from  the  Quillatta  valley, 
some  forty  miles  distant.  I  visited  the  markets  where  these  prod- 
ucts were  bought,  and  found  everything  very  nice  and  clean.  I 
saw  delicious  pears,  peaches  and  plums  and  many  other  varieties 
equally  pleasing. 

The  water  is  good,  sparkling  and  clear,  and  free  from  any  kind 
of  sediments  or  germ  life.  It  is  supplied  by  the  Penuelas  water- 
works, the  reservoir  of  which  is  situated  on  the  Placilla  plateau, 
eleven  miles  from  the  city;  the  circumference  of  this  reservoir 
is  thirty-four  miles  and  its  capacity  twenty  billion  gallons.  Pip- 
ing, thirty  inches  in  diameter,  conveys  the  water  from  it  to  filter- 
beds  500  feet  below,  which  are  connected  with  the  main  aque- 
duct that  conveys  the  fluid  to  the  distributing  tank  on  Vigia 
Hill,  the  extreme  west  of  the  elevations  surrounding  the  city. 

The  visitor  can  have  a  pleasant  enough  time  in  Valparaiso  if 
he  goes  about  it  in  the  right  way  and  makes  an  effort  to  adapt 
and  comport  himself  to  his  environments  and  the  people  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact.  As  a  general  rule  the  Chileans,  or  Chillenos 
as  some  prefer  to  call  them,  are  a  free  people  and  easy  to  get  along 
with  when  one  understands  their  ways.  Of  course,  as  has  been  said, 
there  is  a  large  foreign  element  with  the  German  predominating 
and  the  British  a  close  second.  There  are  also  many  Italians  and 
a  goodly  number  of  French,  but  not  many  North  Americans.  A 
casual  walk  through  the  streets  at  once  convinces  the  visitor 
that  the  Anglo-Saxon  is  the  prevalent  type  of  foreigner.  Half  the 
women  you  meet  are  of  this  type,  with  blonde  hair,  which  is  rather 
refreshing  after  one  has  been  accustomed  to  nothing  but  dark  tresses 
among  the  belles  of  the  republic  lying  to  the  north.  The  ladies  of 
Chile  affect  modern  costumes  more  than  those  of  any  of  the  other 


320  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

South  American  countries.  The  shops  of  Valparaiso  are  replete 
with  the  latest  Parisian  modes  and  fashions.  However,  the  black 
manta,  with  its  edging  of  lace,  always  remains  in  favor  and  may  be 
called  the  national  costume.  It  is  becoming  to  every  figure — the 
angular  or  embonpoint,  the  lean  or  the  adipose,  the  short  or  the  tall ; 
it  sets  off  a  beautiful  shape  and  it  hides  the  blemishes  of  a  defective 
one.  In  fact,  it  makes  the  old  look  young,  the  young  graceful,  the 
stout  slender,  and  the  thin  slyph-like  and  pleasing.  Nearly  all  wear 
it  to  church  in  the  mornings. 

Those  who  can  speak  only  English  can  get  along  very  well  at 
the  hotels,  in  the  marts  and  on  the  streets,  for  that  medium  of  speech 
is  widely  used,  though  Spanish  is  the  official  language.  I  had 
little  occasion  to  address  any  one  in  Spanish.  Of  course  the  news- 
papers are  printed  in  Spanish,  also  the  street  signs  and  general  ad- 
vertisements. There  are  ten  newspapers  altogether  in  the  city,  the 
principal  and  best  being  El  Mercurio,  which  also  publishes  an  edi- 
tion at  Santiago. 

The  climate  of  Valparaiso  is  fine,  I  was  almost  going  to  say 
ideal.  The  mean  annual  temperature  is  57.6  degrees ;  the  mean 
of  the  coldest  month  is  52.8  degrees  and  of  the  warmest  63  degrees  F. 
There  are  no  scorching  days  and  no  intensely  cold  ones,  and  the  air 
is  always  soft,  pleasant  and  invigorating. 

I  have  already  said  that  Valparaiso  has  scarcely  as  yet  re- 
covered from  the  effects  of  the  earthquake  of  1906.  That  was  a 
terrible  blow,  in  fact  the  worst  receiveed  in  the  checkered  history 
of  the  city.  It  had  been  dealt  hard  knocks  before  and  received 
many  wounds.  In  its  infancy  Drake  sacked  it  in  1578;  Hawkins, 
the  Buccaneer,  swooped  down  on  it  in  1598;  the  Dutch  pirate.  Van 
Noort,  plundered  it  in  1600;  earthquakes  and  tidal  waves  ravaged 
it  in  1730,  1822,  1839,  1851  and  1873;  fire  decimated  it  in  1858. 
It  also  suffered  horribly  in  the  Balmaceda  revolution,  but  its  crown- 
ing disaster  occurred,  on  the  evening  of  August  16,  1906,  when 
a  fearful  earthquake  exerted  such  a  force  of  devastation  that  it 
wiped  out  hundreds,  some  say  thousands  of  lives,  besides  destroy- 
ing over  $100,000,000  worth  of  property.  Coming  so  soon  after 
the  San  Francisco  horror  the  Valparaiso  disaster  shocked  the  civ- 
ilzed  world. 

South  America  has  been  the  scene  of  some  dreadful  cataclysms 
of  nature,  but  probably  the  most  awful  visitation  in  its  history  was 
this  earthquake.  Thousands  of  buildings  were  demolished ;  about 
thirty  blocks  of  houses,  three  to  five  stories  high,  in  the  Avenida 


NICHE  CEMETERY,  VALPARAISO 


TRAIXIXG    SHIP,    NAVAL    COLLEGE,    VALPARAISO 


321 


CHIEF  WESTERN  SEAPORT  323 

Brazil  alone,  fell  with  a  thunderous  crash,  killing  scores  and  maim- 
ing hundreds.  The  gas,  electric  light  and  water  mains  were  snapped 
and  the  city  plunged  in  Cimmerian  darkness — a  prey  to  fire  and 
flood.  Fully  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  houses  are  said  to  have  been 
destroyed.  The  condition  of  the  wretched  people  became  pitiable. 
Some  60,000  encamped  on  the  hills  above  the  city  without  food  or 
clothing.  Others  took  refuge  in  the  shipping  in  the  bay  until  the 
terrible  commotion  passed.  Think  of  it !  So  many  lives  lost  in  a 
city  of  only  150,000  and  over  $100,000,000  worth  of  property  de- 
stroyed! Think  of  the  staggering  blow  to  a  country  with  only 
four  million  inhabitants !,  San  Francisco,  when  it  was  wiped  out, 
had  the  richest  country  in  the  world  to  fall  back  upon,  and  upward 
of  20,000,000  people  throughout  the  country  pledged  themselves 
to  rebuild  it.  Valparaiso  had  no  such  hope,  but  nevertheless  it 
has  risen  valiantly  up  again  from  the  ruins  of  the  terrible  past, 
and  promises  to  be  soon  greater  and  better  than  ever.  All  credn 
to  its  spirit  and  undaunted  courage,  and  success  to  its  efforts ! 

Before  leaving  the  neighborhood  we  paid  a  visit  to  Vina  Del  Mar 
(vineyard  of  the  sea),  seven  miles  distant  from  the  city.  This  is 
a  favorite  resort  in  the  summer  months  and  contains  some  fine  villas 
and  mansions  of  the  wealthy  citizens  who  xome  out  here  to  spend 
the  enjoyable  season.  It  may  be  styled  the  Newport  of  Chile,  for 
it  is  a  gay  place  and  society  is  seen  at  its  best.  There  is  much 
sport  carried  on  in  the  way  of  horse-racing,  polo,  tennis  and  golf. 
It  lies  in  a  kind  of  valley  upon  an  arm  of  the  sea  which  is  watered 
by  a  small  stream.  There  are  several  posados  or  rating  houses, 
and  a  large  hotel  which  does  a  thriving  business  in  the  height  of  the 
season.  We  were  struck  with  the  neatness  and  beauty  of  the  flower- 
beds in  front  of  the  residences,  as  they  seemed  to  give  a  life  and 
freshness  to  the  place.  We  could  only  wish  that  we  had  such  at 
home,  but  how  long  could  they  be  kept  intact  from  the  ruthless, 
vandalizing  tresspassers  in  our  northern  resorts !  There  is  one 
drawback  to  this  really  delightful  retreat,  and  that  is  a  large  sugar 
refinery  which  belches  forth  volumes  of  black  and  poisonous  smoke 
that  hangs  like  a  pall  over  the  resort,  obscuring  at  times  the  beauti- 
ful marine  view  and  the  range  of  violet  colored  hills  in  the  dis- 
tance. 

Returning,  our  road  ran  for  a  short  course  over  the  foot  of  a 
rocky  cliff  along  the  shore  of  the  ever  restless  sea.  As  we  looked 
out  from  the  train  across  the  water  our  vision  rested  upon  a 
scene  of  sublime  beauty  that  alone  would  have  repaid  us  for  coming 


324  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

to  Chile.  The  sun  was  sinking  in  the  west,  his  last  crimson  rays 
flashing  over  the  waters  of  the  bay  of  Valparaiso.  But  even  as  we 
looked  the  glory  of  the  scene  faded,  the  sun  went  down  beneath  the 
horizon  and  the  approaching  city  became  pale  and  phantom-like  in 
the  deepening  twilight. 

Next  morning  we  bade  adios  to  the  waters  of  the   Pacific  and 
started  across  the  mighty  Andes  on  our  way  to  Santiago. 


CHAPTER  XIII 
THE  CAPITAL  OF  CHILE 

SANTIAGO,    GEM    OF   THE   SOUTHERN    PACIFIC 

We  left  Valparaiso  by  an  early  morning  train  with  quite  a  large 
number  of  passengers  on  board,  cosmopolitan  and  native.    From  the 
first  stretch  of   road   skirting  the  harbor,   the   waters   of   the  bay 
flecked  with  boats  of  many  nationalities,  lay  glittering  in  the  soft 
light  forming  a  very  pretty  and  appealing  picture  as  the  undulating 
motion  of  the  wavelets  flashed  back  the  rays  of  the  ascending  sun 
in  streamers  of  glinting  glory  which  lent  such  life  and  loveliness 
and  charm  to  the  place  that  we  could  not  resist  looking  back  until 
the  scene  receded  into  the  distance  of  space  as  we  sped  onward  on 
our  journey.     Soon  we  came  to  parched  and  brown  fields  lying  on 
either  side  of  the  track,  presenting  an  unpleasant  contrast  to  the  sea- 
views  we  had  just  left  behind.     These  dreary  fields,  however,  were 
relieved  by  little  streams  here  and  there,  on  the  banks  of  whTch 
grew   graceful   weeping   willows,   the   appearance   of   their   foliage 
bringing  to  my  mind  the  queer  simile  of  children's  hair  cut  in  Dutch 
fashion,  that  is,  in  circular  form,  leaving  an  overhanging  eave  above 
the  neck.    In  some  places  we  could  see  patches  of  cacti,  their  spines 
bristling  like  the  ^'quills  of  the  fretful  porcupine,"  in  others  matted 
shrubs  and  stunted  trees   resembling  old  crab-bushes  or  dwarfed 
specimens   of   the  apple   variety.      Now   and   then   great   ox-carts, 
hauled  by  weary,  yet  patient  animals,  lumbered  along  some  rude 
road  like  remnants  of  a  camel  caravan  making  track  through  an 
African  desert.     The  scenery,  however,  was  not  dreary  and  mo- 
notonous all  the  way — there  were  some  vistas  and  views  to  arouse 
the   spirits  and  make  one  take  an  interest   in  the  journey.     The 
snowy  summits  of  the  Andean  peaks  showed  themselves  in  the  dis- 
tance looking  like  gray  nightcaps  on  the  brow  of  Age.    The  crest  of 

327 


328  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

the  towering  Aconcagua  can  be  seen  distinctly  nearly  the   entire 
distance. 

The  total  length  of  the  railroad  between  Valparaiso  a,nd  Santiago, 
as  surveyed,  is  122  miles,  though  the  journey  over  it  seems  to  war- 
rant its  being  much  longer.  It  was  commenced  in  1852  and  is  said 
to  have  cost  in  the  neighborhood  of  $5,500,000,  or  about  $25,000 
for  each  mile  of  construction.  A  very  mint  of  money  has  been  sunk 
in  these  Andean  systems  of  travel  and  transportation,  for  the  dif- 
ficulties in  the  way  of  making  them  were  enormous,  taxing  mocram 
science  and  engineering  to  the  limit.  However,  the  obstacles  in 
constructing  this  branch  were  not  so  many  nor  so  hard  to  over- 
come as  those  of  the  Oroya  track.  It  is  run  on  the  English  plan  and 
is  similar  in  equipment  and  system  of  management  to  most  of  the 
European  lines.  The  engine  which  hauled  the  train  was  of  Eng- 
lish make,  but  the  Pullman  car  in  which  we  rode  was  turned  out  in 
America. 

After  reaching  an  elevation  of  some  two  thousand  feet  above 
sea-level,  a  plain,  well-watered  and  fertile,  comes  into  view,  in  the 
midst  of  which  is  Santiago,  the  metropolitan  city  of  the  Andes  and 
the  gem  of  the  southern  Pacific  slope,  a  city  of  over  400,000 
inhabitants,  more  than  one-tenth  the  entire  population  of  the  Re- 
public of  Chile. 

Nearing  the  city  the  sides  of  the  road  for  a  considerable  dis- 
tance are  lined  with  ditches  bordered  by  mud  walls,  fashioned  from 
the  ooze  and  earth  taken  out  in  the  ditch-making.  These  walls  are 
of  uiiiform  thickness  and  height  as  the  mud  which  forms  them  is 
cast  into  a  frame  of  the  required  dimensions  and  allowed  to  harden 
before  the  framework  is  taken  away.  In  some  places  they  are  roofed 
with  tile.  They  make  excellent  fencing,  for  owing  to  the  warm 
climate  there  is  no  frost  to  crack  them.  Under  existing  conditions 
they  stand  the  weather  remarkably  well  and  last  a  long  time.  In 
addition  to  these  boundary  walls  long  rows  of  poplars,  shooting  up 
in  stately  height,  presented  a  vista  in  perspective  which  reminded 
us  somewhat  of  a  long-drawn  out  cathedral  cloister  or  church 
aisle.  Other  fences  along  this  part  of  the  route  consisted  of  stakes, 
interlaced  with  the  pliant  rods  of  "Espino"  bushes. 

Occasionally  we  passed  a  "rancho,"  or  farm-house,  built  with 
adobe,  thatched  with  straw  or  roofed  with  tile  and  surrounded  by 
little  orchards  of  fruit-trees.  A  few  country  seats,  residences  of  the 
"haciendados,"  or  landed  proprietors,  added  an  attraction  to  the 
landscape  and  suggested  comfort  and  easy  circumstances. 


JMi 


,-_.:.fraRj% 


lURD'S-EYE    VIEW    OF    SANTIAGO    FROM    SANTA    LUCIA 


K 


AVEXIDA    DEl.ICTAS.    SAXTIAC.O 


^ 


329 


GEM  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  331 

After  a  five  hours'  ride,  we  arrived  at  the  Central  Estacio,ne,  from 
which  we  were  driven  to  the  Gran  Hotel  de  Francia,  overlooking 
the  Plaza  des  Armes,  which  may  be  termed  the  peripheral  center  of 
the  Chilean  capital.  Round  about  are  the  principal  streets  and 
many  of  the  public  buildings.  On  one  corner  is  the  Cathedral,  on 
another  the  Post-office,  while  close  by  are  numerous  portals  or 
corridors  occupied  by  well-filled  booths  and  walled  at  the  back  with 
inviting  shops  which  make  a  fine  display  of  all  kinds  of  goods  to 
be  found  in  an  up-to-date  and  progressive  city.  The  Plaza  itself 
is  a  pleasant  little  park  beautified  with  tropical  plants,  flowers,  palm 
trees  and  fountains. 

The  hotel  we  selected  was  a  very  well-equipped  hostelry  and 
our  wants  were  catered  to  by  courteous  and  obliging  attendants. 
There  are  several  other  good  establishments  of  this  kind,  so  the 
traveler  need  have  no  apprehension  on  the  score  of  accomodation  in 
visiting  this  really  delightful  old  Spanish  city  nestling  in  the  shelter 
of  the  mighty  mountains. 

I  had  anticipated  an  interesting  time.  Often  I  had  pictured 
this  historic  place  in  imagination  and  fondly  dwelt  on  the  possi- 
bilities it  would  reveal.  Now  the  reality  was  achieved.  There  it  lay 
before  us  in  its  calm  dignity,  in  its  peaceful  beauty,  in  its  captivating 
charm,  in  its  wealth  of  memories — the  city  which  Valdivia  founded 
in  the  sixteenth  century  and  named  after  the  patron  saint  of  Spain, 
long  years  before  the  English  mapped  out  their  Jamestown  on 
Virginian  soil,  long  before  the  pilgrims  of  the  Mayflozver  sailed  into 
Plymouth  Bay.  The  red  men  of  the  great  Northland  were  run- 
ning about  in  primitive  wildness  on  Manhattan  Island,  and  neither 
gay  old  Petrus  Stuyvesant  with  his  wooden  leg  nor  New  Amster- 
dam with  its  Dutch  colony  had  been  heard  of  when  the  civi- 
lization of  ancient  Castile  planted  its  banners  on  the  rock  of  Santa 
Lucia. 

Speaking  of  Santa  Lucia  let  me  commence  the  description  at  this 
wonderful  landmark  standing  up  like  a  finger-post  of  Time  pointing 
to  the  sights  and  scenes,  the  life  and  loveliness,  the  gaiety  and 
grandeur,  the  houses  and  hollows,  the  sreets  and  squares,  the  spires 
and  steeples,  the  domes  and  doorways,  the  marks  and  monuments 
of  this  historic  city.  It  is  appropriate  that  I  should  begin  here, 
for  it  was  from  this  spot  that  the  early  settlement  sprang  which  was 
to  grow  into  this  magnificent  and  thriving  commonwealth  of  the 
present  day.  Valdivia  erected  a  stronghold  on  the  rock  and  then 
commenced  to  build  at  its  base,  laying  out  the  squares  with  lines 


332  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

running  north  and  south,  east  and  west  with  studied  regularity. 
The  rock  itself  stands  at  one  side  of  the  city  and  is  a  huge  mass  ris- 
ing up  to  a  height  of  over  five  hundred  feet,  or  about  as  high  as  the 
Washington  Monument.  It  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  freaks  of 
nature  in  the  world.  Some  geologists  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  is 
of  volcanic  origin  and  others  will  have  it  that  it  was  deposited  by 
some  wandering  iceberg  in  a  remote  age  on  the  plain  where  it  has 
since  stood.  For  miles  around  there  is  no  other  elevation,  and  this 
would  scarcely  be  the  case  had  vocanic  action  been  at  work,  there- 
fore, most  people  lean  to  the  iceberg  theory,  but  an  ordinary  layman, 
with  the  credulity  of  ignorance  on  the  subject,  might  be  inclined  to 
believe  that  it  dropped  from  the  clouds. 

The  great  fortress  on  the  top  commanded  the  surrounding  plain 
with  its  guns,  but  this  was  removed  and  the  place  given  over  to 
the  sepulture  of  those  forbidden  burial  in  consecrated  ground,  in 
which  class  were  included,  besides  infidels,  Protestants  and  Jews. 
The  bones  of  these  unfortunates  were  finally  taken  up  and  dumped 
in  a  corner  of  one  of  the  Catholic  cemeteries  as  "exiles  from  both 
heaven  and  earth." 

In  1852  the  United  States  Astronomical  Expedition  used  the 
place  for  observations.  After  the  departure  of  this  expedition 
Benjamin  Vicuna  McKenna,  a  public-spirited  and  wealthy  citizen, 
set  about  beautifying  the  rock  and  surroundings.  He  raised  sub- 
scriptions for  the  purpose  and  spent  much  of  his  own  money 
That  he  succeded  well  in  his  efforts  is  testified  to  by  the  appearance 
of  the  place  to-day,  and  that  the  people  appreciated  what  he  did  is 
shown  in  the  honor  conferred  on  his  remains  which  lie  buried  ir 
a  little  chapel  on  the  summit.  In  fact  McKenna  did  all  that  could 
be  done  by  man  to  supplement  nature  and  make  of  Santa  Lucia 
a  spot  fit  for  an  artist's  dream  of  loveliness.  Several  acres  around 
the  base  and  up  the  sides  were  converted  into  a  park  which  is  one  of 
the  most  beautiful,  if  not  the  most  beautiful  on  earth.  I  think  its 
grandeur  and  charm  are  unparalleled  by  any  othe  place  in  the  world 
set  aside  for  such  purpose.  I  have  looked  on  no  fairer,  rarer 
scene  anywhere  else  on  my  travels,  though  I  have  wandered  in 
many  lands  and  have  seen  the  boasted  beauties,  natural  and  artificial, 
they  possess.  Flowers  and  fountains,  arbors  and  arborage,  beds  and 
bowers,  banks  and  balconies,  grottoes  and  galleries,  gardens  and 
greeneries,  walks  and  windings,  terraces  and  turnings,  parapets  and 
pillars,  statues  and  stonework, — all  combine  to  give  it  an  attraction 
which  irresistibly  appeals  to  all.    Winding  paths  lead  to  the  jagged 


VIEW   FROM    SANTA   LUCIA 


w 

* 

■  '-^v ■;;*-,:' ;:;:.*;.« ,:,.„  .rx-isaassaaaSi;,:-:'' 

'  I   1  - 

*^^ii^^i 

.-■  .£  -^ 

'      \ii,tfl 

r 

%^-^^^m^- 

-   •.:^--y -■;■■-■    ^-'t 

ifr 

fl 

SANTA   LUCIA   PARK 


GEM  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  335 

summit  and  these  are  enclosed  by  low  walls  festooned  and  trellised 
by  rare  bushes  and  creeping  plants ;  great  multi-colored  blossoms 
peep  out  from  corners  and  crannies  at  every  turn ;  ferns  and  tropical 
exotics  extend  their  fronds  and  petals  in  lulxuriant  profusion;  eu- 
calypti trees  and  palms  raise  their  lofty  stems  like  guardian  genii 
keeping  guard  over  a  bower  of  beauty.  The  whole  is  a  scene  of 
light  and  coloring  truly  indescribable,  a  galaxy  of  glory,  a  veritable 
garden  of  the  gods,  an  earthly  Eden  where  the  restless  soul  of  man 
might  linger  in  contentment  finding  solace  and  peace  and  joy  away 
from  the  world  and  its  sordid  considerations.  The  fragrances  and 
perfumes  distilled  and  exhaled  from  shrub  and  flower  and  plant  and 
tree  as  they  come  with  the  breath  of  morning  or  float  on  the  zephyrs 
of  evening  seem  not  like  the  scents  or  smells  of  earth,  but  rather 
like  what  one  might  fancy  as  the  waftings  of  incense  from  angel 
altars  in  some  celestial  shrine  beyond  the  pale  of  mortals. 

What  a  view  from  the  top  of  the  rock!  No  pen  can  describe  it 
adequately,  nor  brush  transfer  it  to  canvas.  Never  shall  it  be 
erased  from  the  tablet  of  memory.  In  imagination  I  behold  it 
as  plainly  as  when  I  looked  upon  it  in  reality — the  city  below 
with  its  vast  expanse  of  red-tiled  roof,  and  the  plains  beyond  in 
their  rich  growth  of  green,  and  in  the  distance  the  snow-capped 
peaks  of  the  Andes  picked  out  in  hazy  blue.  The  streets,  the 
squares,  the  tree-lined  avenues,  the  parks,  the  towers  and  domes, 
the  cupolas  and  spires  of  the  churches  scattered  here  and  there,  the 
busy  scenes  of  life  and  activity,  lay  before  one  like  a  fairy  pano- 
rama on  which  the  eyes  gaze  in  rapturous  delight.  I  felt  as  if 
I  were  looking  upon  some  enchanted  scene  called  forth  by  ma- 
gician's wand  and  that  if  I  turned  away  it  would  dissolve  into  airy 
nothingness  like  the  "baseless  fabric  of  a  dream"  never  to  return. 
So  I  looked  upon  it  long  and  lingeringly,  loath  to  relinquish  such 
a  view  and  still  more  unwilling  to  leave  Santa  Lucia.  Santa  Lucia ! 
the  very  name  is  synonymous  with  enchantment.  And  is  it  not 
euphonic,  does  it  not  strike  the  ear  with  a  peculiar  pleasantness  of 
sonance  as  if  harmonizing  with  some  fond  recollection,  something 
that  once  thrilled  the  heart  and  called  up  the  tenderest  emotions  of 
the  soul? 

As  I  stood  on  its  crest  I  heard  the  words  of  the  name  spoken 
in  the  soft  accents  of  the  Spanish  tone  by  a  passing  senorita  and 
their  utterances  seemed  like  liquid  music,  the  refrain  of  which  is 
still  echoing  in  the  chambers  of  memory.  Reluctantly,  indeed,  I 
had  to  say   Vale  to   beautiful   Santa  Lucia  and  give  attention  to 


336  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

• 

other  scenes  of  interest  in  this  wonderfful  city  of  the  Southland. 

The  Alameda,  a  magnificent  pathway,  stretches  from  Santa  Lucia 
to  the  farthest  end  of  the  city,  a  distance  of  over  three  miles  leading 
out  to  the  parks  known  as  Quinta  Normal  and  Cousino.  It  is  three 
hundred  feet  w4de  and  has  a  roadway  on  either  side.  In  the  center 
is  a  promenade  bordered  by  gurgling  streams  of  clear  mountain 
w^ter  and  shaded  by  rows  of  great  poplar  trees  which  form  an 
overhead  arbor  of  such  density  as  to  afford  excellent  protection  from 
the  rays  of  the  sun.  Along  this  promenade  are  stone  seats  at  short 
intervals  for  pedestrians  to  rest  when  tired  from  their  walking  exer- 
tions, and  also  many  statues  of  heroes  and  others  who  have  played 
prominent  parts  in  the  history  of  the  country,  for  Chile  is  fond  of 
perpetuating  in  bronze  and  marble  her  distinguished  sons,  though 
she  may  have  been  far  from  kind  to  some  of  to  them  when  alive.  In- 
deed one  or  two  victims  of  assassination  and  a  few  who  were  sent 
into  exile  are  called  to  memory  in  this  way,  which  seems  much  of  a 
parody  on  the  fate  meted  out  to  them. 

In  the  early  evenings,'  from  about  three  to  five  o'clock  the  Alameda 
is  crowded  with  pedestrians,  while  the  side  roads  are  taken  up 
with  the  carriages  of  the  wealthier  class,  reminding  one  of  the  turn- 
outs of  New  York's  fashionable  element  on  the  driveways  of  Central 
Park  in  the  summer  evening,  minus  the  lines  of  honking  autos  and 
screaming  taxis  to  frighten  peaceful  citizens  in  crossing  the  walks. 
Of  course  there  are  some  automobiles  in  the  procession,  but 
broughams  and  victorias  predominate.  During  the  season  bands 
of  musicians  discourse  popular  airs,  and  altogether  the  scene  is 
gay  and  inspirating  and  typical  of  the  pleasant  life  of  the  people. 

Fronting  the  Alameda  are  many  of  the  great  show  palaces  of  the 
place,  splendid  residences  which  bespeak  wealth  and  taste.  Though 
the  style  of  construction  for  the  most  part  is  after  the  old  Spanish 
model,  they  call  to  mind  showy  chateaux  along  the  Parisian  boule- 
vard. Of  course  all  have  the  invariable  patio  or  center  court  with 
its  fountain  and  flowers.  Some  are  so  large  that  they  contain  fifty 
good-sized  rooms.  The  ceilings  are  high,  giving  opportunity  for 
decorative  effect,  though  most  of  the  houses  are  not  over  these 
story,  some  only  two.  As  to  cost  and  furnishings  many  of  these 
great  piles  can  vie  with  the  best  of  the  Old  World.  Few  of  the 
ducal  residences  of  Grosvenor  Square,  or  the  princely  homes  along 
the  Unter  den  Linden,  or  the  gilded  palaces  of  the  Champs  Elysees 
can  eclipse  in  grandeur  and  appurtenances  these  millionaire  mansions 
of  the  Chilean  capital.     The  massive  building  which  Henry  Meiggs 


GEM  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  337 

• 

here  erected  cost  millions,  every  stone  and  brick  and  timber  in  it 
having  to  be  imported  at  lavish  expense.  It  was  a  sample  of  money 
extravagance  worthy  of  old  Rome  in  her  most  spendthrift  days.  It 
has  fallen  to  decay,  as  no  one  has  come  forward  willing  enough  or 
ambitious  enough  or  perhaps  wealthy  enough  to  fit  it  up  in  keeping 
with  its  former  splendors  and  richness  of  details.  Another  gorgeous 
example  of  Southern  prodigality  is  shown  in  the  house  'erected  by 
the  late  Sefiora  Isadora  Cousino.  It  resembles  some  elaborate  public 
building  rather  than  a  private  home.  The  decorations  and  furnish- 
ings were  on  the  costliest  scale,  befitting  a  royal  palace  or  kingly 
residence.  This  lady  was  famed  for  her  large  expenditures.  The 
immense  sums  she  lavished  on  display  and  gave  to  public  enter- 
prises formed  a  subject  for  gossip  not  only  in  Chile  but  over  all 
South  America  and  in  other  lands.  She  was  the  Hetty  Green  of  her 
time  as  far  as  the  accumulation  of  vast  money  was  concerned,  but 
she  had  none  of  the  close-fisted  characteristics  of  the  Northern  mil- 
lionairess. She  spent  and  spent  royally;  enormously  rich  in  her 
own  right  she  married  the  richest  man  in  Chile,  and  his  money  and 
possessions  became  hers  at  his  death.  She  invested  millions  in  all 
kinds  of  real  estate — lands,  houses,  railroads,  mines,  steamships 
and  herds  of  cattle.  She  loved  grandeur  and  the  good  things  of  life, 
and  spent  like  a  queen  to  gratify  her  tastes  and  ambitions.  Be- 
sides her  town  house  she  had  an  estancia  at  Macul,  about  an  hour's 
ride  from  Santiago,  which  rivaled  any  European  principality.  She 
presented  the  city  with  the  beautiful  Cousino  Park,  containing  sev- 
eral thousand  acres.  This  is  the  popular  playground  of  the  com- 
mon people,  a  place  which  affords  entertainment  and  amusement 
for  thousands  of  the  working  classes.  There  are  many  kinds  of 
games  and  forms  of  merrymaking,  and  when  in  full  swing  in  the 
season  the  place  presents  a  very  animated  scene  with  its  fun-seeking 
crowds,  gay  colors,  bands  of  music,  booths  and  refreshment  stands 
and  other  addenda  characteristic  of  such  resorts.  Here  the  visitor 
can  see  at  its  best  or  maybe  worst,  the  famous  national  dance  of 
Chile — some  might  be  inclined  to  call  it  infamous — called  the  cuaca, 
which  is  pronounced  quaker.  The  couchee-couchee  of  Coney  Island 
in  its  halcyon  days  was  tame  when  compared  to  it.  Even  the 
turkey  trot  and  tango  of  New  York's  Great  White  Way  would 
be  but  mild  evolutions  beside  it.  If  Mr.  Roosevelt  saw  it  during 
his  late  visit  he  probably  declared,  in  his  emphatic  way,  that  it  beats 
both  to  a  frazzle.  It  is  a  sort  of  can-can,  in  which  the  male  part- 
ners do  most  of  the  high  kicking,  though  when  the  fun  waxes  fast 


338  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

and  furious,  the  females  are  nothing  backward  in  emulating  the 
antics  and  gyrations  of  the  other  sex.  It  is  danced  by  the  couples 
pairing  off,  one  set  facing  the  other;  each  man  and  woman  or  youth 
and  maiden,  as  the  case  may  be,  waves  a  handkerchief  above  their 
heads  as  they  circle  and  gyrate  and  caper  around  in  curves  and 
postures  intended  to  display  the  suppleness  of  the  limbs.  The  dance 
is  accompanied  by  the  thrumming  of  guitars  and  mandolins  by 
musicians  who  sit  on  benches  beside  the  arena  of  performance.  It 
usually  ends  in  a  wild  carousal  of  merriment  when  all  decorum  is 
thrown  to  the  winds  in  a  bedlam  of  shouts,  laughter  and  catcalls, 
while  the  performers  embrace  in  the  most  promiscuous  manner, 
after  which  they  retire  to  the  tents  to  indulge  in  chica  and  cool  off 
after  their  arduous  exercise. 

I  have  not  introduced  a  description  of  this  dance  for  the  pur- 
pose of  reflecting  in  any  way  on  the  morals  of  the  common  people, 
for  I  must  say  they  are  a  good,  well-conducted  class  in  general, 
loyal  to  time-honored  institutions,  devoted  to  their  duties,  attached 
to  their  home  interests  and  sincere  in  their  actions.  The  women, 
as  a  rule,  are  modest  and  retiring  and  sensitive  as  to  their  good 
name ;  they  are  simply  fun-loving  for  the  sake  of  fun,  and  any  seem- 
ing oustepping  of  the  strict  bounds  of  feminine  decorum  and  be- 
haviour may  be  set  down  to  their  light  spirits  and  gay  nature,  and  not 
to  any  desire  or  intention  of  transgressing  the  laws  of  propriety. 
I  merely  bring  in  the  dance  to  illustrate  a  custom  of  the  country, 
one,  however,  which  I  should  be  glad  to  see  relegated  to  the  history 
of  the  past,  as  it  detracts  from  the  present. 

A  form  of  amusement  much  patronized  in  Cousino  Park  is 
horse-racing.  There  is  a  track  known  as  the  "Club  Hippico,"  which 
is  crowded  on  Sunday  afternoons.  The  Chillenos  take  much  inte- 
rest in  horses  and  horse-breeding,  and  turn  out  some  very  fine 
animals. 

Although  the  very  wealthy  citizens  of  Santiago  prefer  the  boule- 
vard of  the  Alameda  to  display  their  fine  residences,  there  are 
many  good  houses  on  the  side-streets,  which,  if  not  so  pretentious 
and  elaborate,  are  striking  and  aristocratic.  Very  few  are  over  two 
stories,  a  circumstance  that  of  course  conduces  to  safety  in  time  of 
earthquakes.  They  have  the  wide  Spanish  entrances  guarded  by 
great  iron  gateways,  high  and  wide,  through  which  the  largest  wag- 
ons and  carriages  can  readily  pass. 

The  insides  of  these  houses  are  furnished  in  keeping  with  the 
wealth  and  social  standing  of  the  owners.    There  are  huge  mirrors, 


THE  ALAMEDA,    SANTIAGO 


LADIES    IN   MANTAS 


GEM  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  341 

beautiful  statues,  costly  paintings,  rare  bric-a-brac,  gorgeous  tapes- 
tries and  portieres,  curtains  and  hangings  of  the  most  expensive 
weaves — the  products  of  Eastern  looms.  There  are  ball-rooms, 
billiard-rooms,  reception-rooms,  guest-rooms,  in  addition  to  the  liv- 
ing-rooms, and  all  furnished  with  the  richest  paraphernalia  to  suit 
the  uses  to  which  the  apartments  are  devoted.  Some  have  Moorish 
bath-rooms  with  fountains  playing  in  vari-colored  lights,  giving  an 
effect  of  enchantment  such  as  we  read  about  in  the  legends  of 
Oriental  lands.  Much  of  the  furniture  is  plated  in  gold  leaf,  and 
gold  and  silver  vessels  and  ornaments  are  displayed,  embossed  and 
studded  with  diamonds  and  other  rare  stones. 

A  noticeable  feature  of  the  buildings  on  both  sides  of  the  Plaza 
des  Armes  is  the  old  quaint  portales,  so  like  what  one  sees  in 
the  Moorish  towns  of  Estramadura  and  Andalusia.  When  I  saw 
them  my  thoughts  flew  back  to  the  dreamy  homes  of  southern  Spain 
and  I  recalled  pleasant  days  spent  in  wandering  through  that 
sunny  land. 

Within  these  portales  are  the  booths,  flanked  by  fine  shops  filled 
with  as  wide  a  variety  of  merchandise  and  of  as  good  a  quality  as 
can  be  found  in  Paris,  London  or  New  York.  Tiaras  of  diamonds, 
ropes  of  pearls,  brooches,  bangles,  bracelets,  rings  and  trinkets  flash 
in  the  windows  inviting  purchase.  The  costliest  silks,  satins,  bro- 
cades and  laces  are  displayed  and  find  ready  sales,  for  the  ladies 
of  Santiago  are  extremely  fastidious  and  pride  themselves  on  up- 
to-date  ahd  elegant  toilets.  Many  of  the  creations  are  as  good  as 
any  Worth  of  Redfern  can  turn  out.  In  most  places  one  must  pay 
a  high  price  for  a  high-class  article;  this  is  the  case  in  Santiago. 
The  goods  seem  dear  to  a  foreigner,  but  when  the  relative  value  of 
money  is  considered  they  are  no  dearer  than  at  home.  Thus  a  lady's 
hat  may  be  marked  $100,  but  that  is  not  much  over  $30  of  our 
money.  The  stores  in  the  portales  round  the  Plaza  are  not  so  large 
as  those  a  block  further  along  near  the  corner  of  Ahumada  and 
Huerfanos.  The  latter  are  pretentious  establishments  and  modern 
in  every  detail.  There  are  many  shoppers  during  the  day.  The 
opulent  ladies  roll  up  in  their  coaches  and  broughams  and  even  auto- 
mobiles, for  the  last  mentioned  are  now  ubiquitous  and  Santiago  can 
boast  quite  a  number.  The  poorer  women  dressed  in  black  skirts 
and  with  the  customary  mantas  over  their  heads  and  shoulders,  shop 
on  foot,  and  are  always  accompanied  by  friends  or  companions.  A 
woman  is  scarcely  ever  seen  alone. 

Santiago  has   a  number  of  fine  public  buildings.     Perhaps  the 


342  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

best  of  these  is  the  Palace  of  Congress,  which  covers  an  entire 
square  and  is  of  modern  classical  construction  similar  to  many  of 
the  public  buildings  in  the  United  States.  The  National  Library 
opposite,  is  an  imposing  structure  and  contains  a  fine  collection  of 
books.  The  City  Hall,  the  Palace  of  Justice  and  the  Army  Build- 
ing are  other  show-places  which  the  Santiagoan  points  out  to  the 
visitor  with  pride  as  indicative  of  the  prestige  and  importance  of  his 
city.  The  President's  residence  is  a  fine  three-story  structure  with 
imposing  surroundings.  It  contains  the  offices  of  many  of  the 
Government  departments.  The  Opera  House  is  a  municipal  institu- 
tion and  is  claimed  to  be  the  finest  structure  in  America.  It  is  built 
after  the  European  style  with  four  balconies  supported  by  brackets, 
so  that  there  are  no  pillars  to  obstruct  the  view.  The  boxes  are 
luxuriously  upholstered.  Opera  is  given  several  nights  a  week 
during  the  season,  generally  by  Italian  companies  brought  over  for 
the  purpose.  The  people  are  as  familiar  with  ''Trovatore"  and 
"La  Tosca"  as  the  beau-monde  of  New  York's  Fifth  Avenue.  Not 
alone  is  the  building  free,  but  a  good  sum  is  given  by  the  govern- 
ment to  the  management  to  secure  the  best  talent.  Between  the 
acts  the  gay  youths  drift  down  to  the  orchestra  rail  and  put  up  their 
glasses  to  scan  the  boxes,  and  when  the  performance  is  over  they 
linger  in  the  large  foyer  to  watch  the  senoras  file  out  in  the  hope 
that  they  may  catch  a  glance  from  the  dark  eyes  or  a  smile  from  the 
ruby  lips  of  some  witching  damsel. 

There  are  many  churches  in  Santiago.  The  Cathedral  is  the  most 
imposing  of  all.  It  is  of  time-worn  gray  granite  and  fronts  on  the 
Plaza.  I  happened  to  be  in  the  city  during  Holy  Week,  and  there- 
fore had  an  opportunity  of  observing  religious  fervor  at  its  greatest 
intensity.  When  good  Friday  came  a  solemn  hush  seemed  to  pass 
over  the  place,  and  a  silence  followed  which  was  almost  oppressive. 
Business,  for  the  most  part,  was  suspended  and  the  stores  closed. 
Thousands  of  women  in  funereal  garbs  crowded  the  streets  as  they 
silently  made  their  way  to  the  different  churches.  The  great  Jesuit 
basilica  seemed  the  center  of  attraction.  When  the  devotions 
inside  this  and  other  churches  were  over,  tens  of  thousands  of  men 
and  women  lined  the  sidewalks,  the  men  in  bared  heads,  while  great 
floats  were  borne  along  on  the  shoulders  of  perspiring  carriers,  each 
bearing  some  allegorical  representation  or  scene  emblematic  of  the 
different  stages  of  life  of  the  Saviour,  from  His  first  public  appear- 
ance to  His  crucifixion  on  the  Cross  of  Calvary.  It  was  all  very 
impressive,  very  religious,  yet  it  must  have  seemed  fantastic  to  other 


CATHEDRAL    FROM    PLAZA    DES    ARMES,    SANTIAGO 


CONGRESSIONAL    BUILDING.    SANTIAGO 


GEM  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  345 

than  Catholic  eyes.  On  Easter  Sunday  I  attended  service  in  the 
Cathedral  and  listened  to  the  chanting  of  the  high  mass  and  the 
deep  tones  of  the  organ,  while  the  altar  blazed  with  lighted  canoles 
in  shimmering  candelabra  and  the  gold  and  silver  crucifixes  and 
mountings  and  hangings  and  tinsel  flashed  and  scintillated  in  the 
colored  rays  which  came  in  through  the  stained-glass  windows.  It 
was  a  sight  not  soon  to  be  forgotten, — the  gorgeousness  and  pomp 
and  panoply  of  religious  worship  as  practiced  by  the  ancient  church 
of  Rome.  Yet  I  wondered  could  such  grandeur  be  in  harmony 
with  the  life  and  desires  of  Him  it  proposed  to  honor,  Him  who 
taught  humility,  who  lived  in  poverty  and  sufferings,  who  had 
scarcely  a  place  to  lay  His  head.  Despite  the  thousands,  and  the 
glitter  and  the  grandeur  I  felt  lonely  in  that  cathedral  and  wished 
I  had  some  of  my  home  friends  with  me  to  keep  me  company. 

There  are  many  feast  or  "fiesta"  days  in  Santiago,  which  take 
much  of  the  people's  time.  They  make  such  days  holidays  and  try 
to  have  as  good  a  time  as  they  can,  with  the  result  that  many  are 
incapacitated  for  attending  to  their  duties  the  following  day,  and 
thus  they  lose  two  days.  Again,  as  each  one  insists  on  celebrating 
the  feast  of  his  patron  saint,  there  are  a  good  many  feast  days  in  the 
calendar.  Sunday  is  the  day  for  general  celebration  among  the 
peons,  and  they  celebrate  so  well  on  chica  and  other  drinks  that 
they  require  Monday  to  recuperate.  Therefore  Monday  among 
the  working  classes  is  more  or  less  regarded  as  a  dies  non. 

There  is  one  great  holiday  common  to  all  the  people.  This  is  the 
day  the  anniversary  of  Chilean  independence  is  celebrated,  the  "diaz 
y  ocho  de  Setiembre,"  that  is,  the  18th  of  September.  It  is  the 
Chilean  Fourth  of  July,  great  preparations  are  made  for  it,  and 
when  it  arrives  all  public  buildings,  banks  and  business  houses  close 
and  young  and  old  engage  in  the  general  festivities. 

There  are  two  markets  in  Santiago,  both  of  them  on  the  banks  of 
the  Mapocho,  a  stream  130  feet  wide,  which  runs  through  the  city 
for  about  two  miles,  having  stone  walls  along  the  banks  over-topped 
with  shade-trees.  The  old  market  is  a  most  interesting  place,  well 
worthy  a  visit.  The  produce  brought  to  this  market  comes  from 
quite  a  distance,  from  the  rich  Chilean  valleys  lying  among  the  hills, 
where  warm  suns  and  refreshing  dews  force  the  soil  to  bring  forth 
its  best.  Probably  the  meek-eyed  oxen  reclining  under  the  shade  of 
the  trees  quietly  chewing  the  cud  have  been  on  the  road  for  three 
or  four  days  dragging  their  loads  up  the  steep  inclines  and  over  the 
dust-choked  levels.     The  fruits,  as  in  Valparaiso,  are  excellent,  flie 


346  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

pears  and  peaches  being  particularly  fine,  outclassing  those  of  Cal- 
ifornia, though  little  pains  are  taken  in  their  cultivation.  There  is 
a  great  deal  of  haggling  over  prices.  The  venders  ask  twice  and 
three  times  as  much  as  they  expect  to  get,  so  an  inexperienced  per- 
son is  liable  to  be  taken  in  by  their  demands.  A  little  observation, 
however,  soon  makes  one  wise  to  their  style  of  dealing,  and  when 
they  see  that  their  methods  are  discovered  they  become  reasonable 
enough  in  their  prices. 

There  are  many  newspapers  in  Santiago — so  many  indeed  that  one 
wonders  how  some  of  them  get  circulation  enough  for  support.  The 
principal  one  is  El  Mercurio.  It  was  founded  in  Valparaiso  in 
1827  where  it  still  publishes  an  edition.  It  came  to  Santiago,  which 
it  now  makes  its  headquarters,  in  1900.  There  is  an  afternoon 
edition  of  this  paper  called  Las  Ultimas  Noticias,  "The  Latest 
News,"  and  it  publishes  an  illustrated  weekly  called  Zig-Zag, 
which  has  a  good  circulation  all  over  the  country.  La  Union  is 
another  leading  paper  which  commands  a  big  influence.  Others 
are  La  Lei,  La  Patria,  El  Chileho,  El  Ferrocarril  and  La  Reforma. 
You  will  meet  newspaper  boys  at  almost  every  corner  shouting 
their  wares  and  making  insistent  demands  for  patronage. 

The  climate  of  Santiago  is  similar  to  that  of  Washington,  yet  the 
midday  is  rather  hot  when  the  sun  beams  down  in  zenith  strength, 
lor  the  surrounding  mountains  shut  in  the  heat-waves,  and  conse- 
quently the  place  is  warmer  in  the  daytime  than  the  latitude  would 
otherwise  warrant.  The  nights  are  cool,  sometimes  too  cool,  for 
there  are  no  fires,  no  stoves  or  chimneys  in  the  private  houses,  and 
on  occasions  the  people  have  to  resort  to  additional  clothing  to 
maintain  bodily  comfort. 

It  is  not  uncommon  in  the  evenings  to  see  men  sitting  witih  their 
feet  in  fur  bags  and  ponchos  wrapped  around  their  shoulders.  It 
looks  very  strange  to  see  gentlemen  and  ladies  surrounded  by  most 
of  the  luxuries  that  wealth  can  buy  sitting  in  furs  and  overcoats  with 
chattering  teeth  and  blue  in  the  faces  for  want  of  a  simple  fire. 
The  low  latitude  of  the  night  atmosphere  is  caused  by  cold  air- 
waves rolling  down  the  snowy  sides  of  the  Andes  after  sunset,  and 
accumulating  in  the  Chilean  valleys.  This  cannot  take  place 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Cordilleras  where  there  is  a  great  sunny 
plain  stretching  away  to  the  east,  and  consequently  no  valley  forma- 
tions between  great  hills.  Many  enjoy  the  cool  air  of  the  evening, 
especially  those  whose  occupation  shuts  them  in  during  the  day.  It 
is  said  to  be  healthy,  but  science  would  scarcely  indorse  such  a 


GEM  OF  THE  SOUTril<:i>^X  PACTFIC  349 

view.  The  healthiness  of  a  city  or  climate  cannot  be  measured  from 
such  a  standard.  Neither  has  the  brightness  of  the  Southern  Cross 
nor  the  color  of  the  moon  aught  to  do  with  the  health  or  sickness 
of  Santiago.  That  it  is  not  a  healthy  city  is  borne  out  by  the  figures 
of  the  vital  statistics.  The  prevailing  diseases  are  pneumonia  and 
throat  and  lung  affections,  and  the  mortality  from  these  causes  is 
very  high.  Therefore,  beautiful  as  it  is,  I  would  not  recommend 
it  as  a  health  resort. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


CROSSING  THE  ANDES 


FROM    SANTIAGO   TO   BUENOS   AIRES. 

The  transandine  journey  is  one  which  the  traveler  will  not  soon 
forget.  To  describe  the  trip  fully  and  do  justice  to  the  majestic 
scenery  is  not  possible  to  the  most  gifted  pen.  Words  are  too  weak 
to  convey  to  others  the  impression  made  upon  the  mind  of  the 
traveler  by  the  mighty  manifestations  put  forward  by  Nature  in 
the  sublimity  of  her  power  throughout  this  region.  In  face  of  such 
stupendous  scenery  the  eye  becomes  bewildered  and  unable  to  take 
in  the  vastness,  the  scope,  the  contrast  of  colors,  the  lights  and 
shades,  the  hues  and  tints,  the  ascending  and  descending  manifesta- 
tions of  glory  and  gorgeousness,  which  open  out  among  these  ever- 
lasting hills.  It  is  as  if  some  mighty  picture  of  creation  were  pre- 
sented to  our  view  swinging  on  a  revolving  easel  and  at  which  we 
can  only  stare  in  wonderment  as  it  unfolds  itself  scene  by  scene.  We 
try  to  focus  our  glance  on  some  particular  spot  but  ere  we  have  time 
to  center  our  attention  it  passes  on  to  give  place  to  some  other  feature 
in  the  ever-varying  revolutions  of  form  and  color. 

The  mind  has  limitations  beyond  which  it  cannot  go,  and  here 
the  vision  of  the  eye  is  too  narrow  to  assist  it  in  comprehending 
and  digesting  the  mighty  surroundings,  no  more  than  one  can  assimi- 
late some  awe-inspiring  phenomenon  at  first  glance  when  suddenly 
confronted  with  it. 

The  Andes  are  compelling,  tremendous,  overpowering,  and  no 
one  who  looks  upon  them  in  this  place,  be  he  the  most  imaginative 
poet  or  the  most  gifted  artist,  can  grasp  their  greatness,  their 
grandeur,  their  sublimity,  their  effect,  within  his  own  individual  com- 
prehension.   If,  like  the  strong-winged  condor,  one  could  soar  above 

350 


NATURE'S  MAJESTIC  WORKSHOP  351 

their  towering  peaks  and  take  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  scenes  below 
he  might  be  able  to  give  an  impression  of  their  majesty,  but  even 
then  such  would  be  faint  and  inadequate  to  convey  to  others  the 
sensations  they  produce.  When  the  sunlight  plays  upon  their  bould- 
ered  sides  and  burnt  breasts  and  snowy  heads,  such  a  riot  of  colors 
flashes  out  as  dazzles  the  eyes  and  defies  classification.  They  are 
arranged  and  limned  by  the  Master  Artist  of  creation,  and  no  mortal 
may  ever  hope  to  imitate  them  on  the  canvas  of  Art.  Neither  prism, 
nor  spectrum,  nor  painter's  palette  can  ever  present  such  a  blending 
of  hues  and  tints,  in  some  instances  bright  and  brilliant,  in  others 
dark  and  somber,  and  at  all  times  impressive.  Here  the  granite 
shows  gray  and  shadowy,  there  the  rocks  appear  as  if  splashed 
with  blood  through  which  run  intra-venous  threads  of  copper  stain, 
sometimes  green  and  sometimes  blue  in  their  wavy  outlines ;  green- 
ish crystals  of  hornblende  give  way  to  pinkish  patches  of  flesh- 
colored  feldspar  shining  in  vitreous  luster,  and  in  turn  these  give  way 
to  dioritic  basalt  and  splashes  of  yellow  ochre  and  laminations  of 
gneiss-rock  and  glints  of  sandstone,  marble  and  porphyry — all  com- 
bining an  array  of  tints  confusing  to  the  sight,  but  at  the  same  time 
fascinating  to  the  senses  by  the  wonderful  variety  of  their  display. 

I  had  anticipated  this  journey  across  the  huge  vertebrae  of 
the  continent  from  many  points  of  view,  and  tried  to  conjure  up 
what  would  be  revealed  on  the  way,  but  the  reality  excelled  anything 
and  everything  imagination  had  called  forth.  I  shall  endeavor  to 
place  before  the  reader  our  impressions  of  some  of  the  places  along 
the  route,  but  any  description  can  only  be  a  faint  attempt  for,  as  has 
been  said,  the  scenery  baffles  description. 

We  left  Santiago  in  the  evening.  As  we  drove  down  the  long 
stretch  of  the  Alameda  to  the  Alameda  station,  we  fondly  looked 
back,  for  we  were  somewhat  loath  to  say  "adios"  to  the  city  which 
had  captivated  us  with  its  beauty  and  associations.  The  last  beams 
of  the  western  sun  were  gilding  the  spires  and  domes,  and  as  they 
lingered  on  the  turret  of  never-to-be-forgotten  Santa  Lucia,  they 
revealed  a  picture  which  shall  ever  stand  out  in  the  foreground  of 
my  memory.  It  was  hard  to  let  it  pass  from  view,  but  the  crazy 
old  coach — a  cross  between  a  volante  and  a  caleche  with  the  bad 
points  of  both — drawn  by  a  pair  of  attenuated,  or  seemingly  articu- 
lated, specimens  of  the  equine  race  plunged  onward  and  soon  the 
entrancing  pile  was  lost  to  sight.  Speaking  of  horses,  there  are  very 
good  ones  in  Chile  and  in  Santiago,  but  they  are  not  put  to  street 
coaches.    It  is  only  those  which  should  be  superanuated  and  given  a 


352  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

pension  for  past  services  that  are  put  to  such  use.  Our  Chilleno 
driver  whipped  the  miserable  beasts  along.  He  was  more  Hke  a 
bandit  than  a  driver — rough,  uncouth  and  "bearded  like  the  pard." 
He  had  no  soul  for  beauty,  probably  only  money — the  amount 
of  his  fare  or  what  he  could  brazenly  charge — was  in  his  thoughts, 
or  maybe  familiarity,  as  usual,  had  begotten  contempt  for  his  native 
city  and  the  sights  it  presented.  At  any  rate  he  flogged  on  until  the 
station  was  reached.  There  we  boarded  the  train  for  Llai-Llai, 
(pronounced  Yi-Yi)  where  the  road  from  the  capital  meets  the 
continuation  of  the  transcontinental  line  from  Valparaiso.  Llai-Llai, 
which,  being  interpreted,  means  Windy-Windy,  is  a  little  town  of 
about  five  or  six  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  situated  about  2,500 
feet  above  sea-level.  At  nearly  all  hours  fruit-sellers  come  to  the 
station  to  offer  their  temptations  in  the  way  of  luscious  pears  and 
juicy  peaches,  which  they  obtain  from  an  Arcadian  valley  lower 
down  and  which  are  really  delightful  and  very  cheap,  when  one 
contrasts  what  is  asked  with  the  imposition  of  the  street  peddlers 
in  Santiago  and  Valparaiso. 

Here  we  changed  for  the  main  track  and  were  soon  on  our  way 
to  Santa  Rosa  de  Los  Andes,  which  may  be  called  the  terminus 
of  the  State  Railway  and  the  beginning  of  the  Chilean  Transandine 
Road.  The  ride  to  this  little  town  at  the  foothills  of  the  Andes 
took  us  through  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Rio  Aconcagua.  As  it  was 
night  we  could  not  view  the  scenery  on  either  side,  and  on  this 
account  we  regretted  the  late  traveling,  for  this  is  one  of  the 
garden  spots  of  a  rich  agricultural  section,  where  there  are  waving 
fields  of  corn,  wheat  and  tobacco,  with  swelling  vineyards  and 
swaying  orchards  and  studded  with  pretentious  tile-roofed  haciendas 
of  well-to-do  planters.  We  passed  San  Felipe,  a  town  of  12,000 
inhabitants,  situated  in  a  belt  of  well-cultivated  land;  it  is  about 
equally  distant  from  Santiago  and  Valparaiso,  some  seventy-eight 
miles  from  either. 

We  arrived  at  Los  Andes  at  10  p.  m.  and  turned  in  for  the 
night  at  one  of  the  two  hotels,  to  get  a  needed  rest  for  the  hard  trip 
before  us  on  the  following  day.  The  accommodation  might  have 
been  better,  but  one  need  not  expect  the  comforts  of  a  modern  city 
hostelry  in  these  mountain  caravanserais.  Most  of  the  rooms  are 
on  the  ground  floor,  and  not  infrequently  there  are  three  or  four 
guests  to  each,  but  luckily  there  is  enough  space  to  do  away  with 
any  necessity  of  sleeping  together.  As  it  is,  one  has  to  make  ftie 
best  of  it  where  there  is  no  pick  or  choice  in  the  matter.     It  was 


NATURE'S  MAJESTIC  WORKSHOP  353 

almost  midnight  when  we  got  to  bed,  and  as  the  train  was  to  leave 
early  in  the  morning  we  had  little  time  for  rest.  It  seemed  that  we 
had  not  yet  reached  the  end  of  our  first  sleep  when  the  call  came 
for  us  to  get  up.  We  rubbed  our  heavy  eyelids,  stared  around  for 
a  while  to  get  our  bearings,  and  then  realized  we  must  hurry  for 
the  road  again.  We  made  a  hasty  toilet  and  after  a  desayuno  of 
black  coffee  and  hot  milk,  with  a  crust  of  hard  black  bread,  we 
rattled  our  bones  over  the  stones  to  the  waiting  train.  I  should  not 
forget  to  state  we  were  charged  a  rather  long  price  for  the  short 
stop  and  the  black  cofifee — somewhere  about  eight  dollars  a  head  in 
Chilean  money.  Los  Andes  from  what  we  saw  of  it  in  the  early 
morning  light,  looked  encouraging  enough.  There  was  an  abund- 
ance of  vegetation  and  many  fruit-trees  of  different  varieties.  I 
have  heard  that  a  fruit-canning  plant  has  been  established  there, 
which  promises  to  develop  into  a  profitable  industry. 

At  exactly  five  o'clock  the  levers  were  pulled  to  open  the  throttle 
of  a  specially  constructed  mountain  engine,  and  in  the  glorious  morn- 
ing sunshine  the  cars  began  to  move  up  and  over  the  most  wonder- 
ful of  mountain  roads  which  leads  across  the  mightiest  mountain- 
chain  in  the  world.  The  track  is  the  narrow  gauge  type,  and  the 
special  engine  was  what  is  known  as  the  Borsig  rack-and-pionion,  or 
cog-wheel  locomotive,  manufactured  in  Germany,  a  land  which 
fathers  many  inventions  to  be  found  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  When 
the  gradient  became  steep,  say  four  in  one  hundred,  we  toiled 
laboriously  up  tooth  by  tooth  at  a  rate  of  not  over  ten  miles  an 
hour,  but  when  the  gradient  descended  a  little  a  fair  speed  was 
attained,  as  fast  as  with  an  ordinary  engine.  The  climb  began 
almost  immediately  after  leaving  Los  Andes.  In  the  first  thirty 
miles  or  so  there  is  a  rise  of  about  7,000  feet.  The  track  follows 
the  course  of  the  Rio  Aconcagua,  which  gradually  narrows  until  at 
Puente  de  las  Viscaschas  it  is  spanned  by  a  narrow  bridge,  beneath 
which  the  waters  churn  and  foam  in  their  close  channel  as  if  bat- 
tling to  get  out  to  join  the  current  on  its  way  to  the  sea.  Occa- 
sionally we  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  life  on  the  ancient  high-ways 
that  thread  the  valley — natives  driving  oxen  to  haul  primitive 
wagons  or  carts  with  block-wheels,  such  as  were  used  in  the  days 
of  the  Pharoahs ;  in  a  few  fields  we  saw  the  animals  attached  to 
single-handled  wooden  plows  that  seemed  replicas  of  what  history 
tells  us  were  the  tillage  implements  of  the  Egyptians  and  Chaldeans, 
a  fact  which  shows  how  strong  must  have  been  the  Moorish  influ- 
ence in  Old  Spain  which  transplanted  its  methods  and  customs  to 


354  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

this  new  continent.  We  could  also  see  mud  huts  here  and  there 
on  the  mountain-sides  embowered  in  vines  and  creepers  which  gave 
them  a  pretty  appearance  in  the  perspective  of  distances. 

About  thirteen  miles  from  Los  Andes  is  the  little  station  of 
Resguardo,  where  guards  are  posted  for  the  purpose  of  protection, 
as  there  is  danger  of  train  hold-ups  in  these  mountain  settlements. 
A  little  beyond  is  Los  Loros,  a  name  which  suggests  parrots,  but 
what  that  has  to  do  with  the  people  is  a  matter  for  conjecture. 
From  here  on  the  mountains  rise  grander  and  grander  and  more 
impressive,  great  masses  piled  on  one  another,  their  summits,  cut- 
ting the  sky-line,  as  if  in  defiant  majesty  of  the  realm  of  air  and 
sky.  In  some  places  great  boulders  of  rock  hang  almost  perpendicu- 
lar over  the  road.  Enormous  fragments  look  as  if  on  the  point  of 
falling  and  are  so  close  to  the  sides  of  the  track  that  they  seem 
to  block  the  passage  in  front.  One  cannot  cast  off  a  dread  feeling 
of  danger  as  he  looks  on  these  huge  masses  apparently  suspended 
in  the  air  and  ready  to  topple  at  the  slightest  friction.  The  air  here 
became  so  cold  and  thin  that  to  some  of  us  came  the  old  sensation 
of  impending  sorroche,  but  it  passed  ofifas  we  tucked  our  rugs  more 
closely  around  our  knees  to  ward  off  the  chill.  The  vegetation  got 
scanter  as  we  ascended  and  soon  there  was  scarcely  anything  of 
life  on  the  bare  burnt  sides  of  the  mountains  which  looked  as  if 
some  fire-breathing  monster  had  stalked  over  them,  withering  witih 
devastating  breath  all  that  came  in  its  way.  The  train  rushed  over 
a  shelf  cut  out  of  the  solid  mountain-side  that  spanned  a  narrow 
gorge  through  which  the  waters  rushed  and  roared  a  thousand  feet 
below.  This  gorge  is  known  as  the  Salto  del  Sodaldo,  or  "Soldier's 
Leap,"  around  which  tradition  has  flung  its  mantle.  It  is  said  that 
during  the  war  of  independence,  a  Chilean  soldier,  pursued  by  the 
enemy,  leaped  across  the  chasm  and  escaped.  Of  course  the  story 
is  improbable,  but  it  adds  spice  and  gives  an  interest  to  the  place. 

Juncal  (pronounced  Hoonkal)  was  passed.  This  place  for  several 
years  was  the  terminus  .  It  is  at  an  elevation  of  7,500  feet  and  the 
name  means  marsh  or  cornbrake,  but  the  significance  seems  very 
inappropriate,  as  there  is  nothing  marshy  or  like  a  corn  brake  about 
it.  Soaring  aloft  above  these  wild  hills  may  be  seen  ,in  all  its 
strength  of  flight  and  power  of  wing  and  pinion,  that  rapacious 
bird  of  the  Andes,  the  condor,  which  name  is  derived  from  the 
Indian  word  kunter,  in  turn  a  corruption  of  an  Incan  term  meaning 
"to  smell  well." 


fn  i^v^ 

1 

HP'$            -^^^Rii^^H[H^^^^H 

BEFORE   THE    RAILROAD 


855 


NATURE'S  MAJESTIC  WORKSHOP  359 

"The  condor  where  the  Andes  tower 
Spreads  his  broad  wing  of  pride  and  power 
And  many  a  storm  defies." 

These  birds  fly  to  a  great  height,  in  fact  until  they  become  but 
mere  specks  to  the  naked  eye  in  the  blue  dome  of  sky.  In  winter- 
time they  come  near  shore,  but  in  summer  they  seek  the  highest 
peaks.  The  condor  is  the  royal  bird  of  the  republic,  figuring  on 
the  national  escutcheon  as  an  emblem  of  strength  and  independence. 
A  stranger  may  be  pardoned  for  saying  that  such  an  emblem  is  not 
happily  chosen.  Certainly  our  own  old  glorious  baldheaded  eagle, 
typical  of  might  and  majesty,  king  of  birds,  is  more  appropriate 
for  a  nation's  standard  than  the  rapacious  carrion-loving  vulture  of 
the  Andes.  But  each  to  his  own.  The  condor  is  native  to  Chile's 
mountain-peaks,  just  as  the  eagle  is  native  to  ours.  The  Indians 
have  woven  many  legends  around  the  accipitrine  bird.  Most  of 
them  believe  in  metempsychosis  and  many  think  that  the  souls  of 
their  departed  who  led  evil  lives  enter  the  bodies  of  condors,  to  be 
poised  between  earth  and  heaven  deprived  of  the  comforts  of  one 
and  the  joys  of  the  other. 

Caracoles  is  the  name  of  the  little  station  at  the  Chilean  end  of 
the  international  railway.  From  this  place  a  tunnel  has  been  cut 
right  through  the  rock  of  the  Andes,  connecting  it  with  Los  Cuevas 
where  the  traveler  catches  his  first  glimpse  of  the  Argentine  country. 
This  tunnel  is  10,300  feet  in  length.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  it  was 
not  ready  for  traffic;  so  we  had  to  change  from  the  cars  at  El 
Portillo  and  take  to  coaches  for  our  journey  across  this  part  of  the 
mountains  until  we  could  again  get  a  train  at  Cuevas.  In  the 
early  days  this  intervening  space  was  covered  on  foot  or  saddle- 
back, but  later  a  service  was  established  consisting  of  many  coaches, 
baggage  wagons,  horses  and  mules,  which  did  a  profitable  business 
in  conveying  passengers  across.  There  were  two  companies'  engaged 
in  the  tranportation,  but  the  competition  did  not  benefit  those  who 
were  compelled  to  patronize  either,  in  the  way  of  superior  accommo- 
dations. The  tourist  nowadays  should  be  glad  that  the  necessity 
for  their  coaches  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  Certainly  these  convey- 
ances were  typical  of  a  crude  mode  of  locomotion.  I  still  have  a 
lively  remembrance  of  the  one  in  which  I  traveled.  It  was  a  small 
cramped  affair,  drawn  by  four  horses  hitched  abreast,  after  the 
manner  of  a  Roman  chariot,  and  seated  only  four  persons.  The 
seats  ran  sideways  and  the  top  was  covered  with  a  white  canvas, 
like  that  of  a  baker's  wagon.     I  got  many  a  hard  bump  and  stiff 


360  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

knock  and  sickening  jolt  ere  I  reached  the  end  of  our  six  hours 
ride.     I  was,  however,   reconciled  with  the  suffering  because  the 
magnificance  and  wild  grandeur  of  the  scenery  more  than  compen- 
sated for  the  annoyance  and  drawbacks  of  the  conveyance.    Some  of 
the  views  were  sublime,  outrivaling  by  far  any  I  had  seen  in  other 
parts  of  the  world.     Mountain-peaks,  more  than  twice  a  thousand 
feet  in  height,  towered  above  us  like  Titanic  genii  guarding  us  along 
the  way.     As  we  zigzagged  slowly  up  that  immense  ascent,  turning 
and  twisting  on  hair-pin  bends,  we  felt  as  if  we  were  buried  beyond 
exhumation   in   these    fearsome   Andean   passes.      I   have   traveled 
along  many  narrow  and  dangerous  roads  in  different  countries;  I 
have  threaded  the  corkscrew  paths  of  the  Alps  above  which  Jungfrau 
and   the   Matterhorn   frowned   in   icy  threat;   I   have   been   in   the 
ravines  of  the  Himalayas,  but  I   have  seen  nothing  to  equal  the 
rocky,  rutty  steep,  up  and  over  the  backbone  of  the  Andes.     There 
was  but  the  merest  pretense  at  a  wall  to  keep  the  coach  from  rolling 
over  the  edge  down  to  destruction  thousands  of  feet  below.     The 
element  of  danger  was  never  lacking  sl^^  the  horses  jumped  and 
jerked  with  the  high-wheeled  coche  careening  and  bumping  along 
after  them  like  a  wooden  car  on  a  switchback  railway.    The  moun- 
tains  rose  higher  and  higher   and   came   closer   and   closer,   their 
awful  masses  instilling  a  feeling  of  dread  into  those  who  looked  upon 
them  for  the  first  time.     The  keen  wind  swept  our  faces  and  the 
snow  beat  and  cut  into  the  flesh  like  icicles,  though  the  season  was 
but  autumn.    We  wrapt  our  vicuna  rugs  closer,  but  they  were  insuffi- 
cient to  protect  us  from  the  cold.    Some  of  the  less  hardy  passengers 
in  other  coaches  succumbed  and  toppled  off  their  seats  in  a  faint; 
probably  fright  at  the  seeming  danger  of  their  surroundings  had  as 
much  to  do  with  their  collapse  as  the  cold.     I  am  here  led  to  say 
.iiat  it  requires  an  organic  soundness  to  successfully  negotiate  this 
journey  and  not  suffer  at  the  time,  or  from  after  effects.    Of  course 
the  tunnel  now  obviates  much  of  the  difficulty.     This  pass  in  the 
winter  months — June,   July,   August   and    September — was   almost 
impossible ;  in  that  season  it  led  through  a  veritable  land  of  desola- 
tion with  death  lurking  at  every  turn  and  a  white  annihilation  over 
all,  the  snows  often  reaching  a  depth  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet.  Many 
a  brave  fellow  lost  his  life  for  his  temerity  in  trying  to  overcome  the 
peril.     Even  in  the  open  months  sudden  storms  are  not  infrequent 
Huts  were  erected  at  intervals  along  the  path  to  protect  travelers 
when   overtaken.      We   passed    several   of   these   huts.      They   are 
about  twelve  feet  high,  built  of  brick  and  mortar  and  have  arched 


NATURE'S  MAJESTIC  WORKSHOP  361 

roofs.  They  remind  one  very  much  of  dungeons.  The  scenes 
around  add  a  melancholy  gloom  to  their  appearance.  They  are  sug- 
gestive of  suffering,  calhng  to  mind  the  fate  of  unfortunate  way- 
farers who  day  by  day  anxiously  looked  through  their  grim  door- 
ways to  see  the  snows  getting  deeper  and  deeper  until  hope  fled 
and  death  approached  to  put  an  end  to  their  despair.  It  must 
have  been  terrible  to  the  poor  victims  to  realize  that  the  pass  had 
become  impassable  and  that  they  must  die  amid  the  awful  solitude 
of  the  mountains. 

As  we  toiled  upward  the  ravines  among  the  hills  seemed  deeper, 
their  bottoms  became  shrouded  in  shades  of  darkness,  from  which 
we  turned  our  eyes  to  gaze  upward  at  the  grim  peaks  across  which 
wracks  of  gray  clouds  were  scurrying  like  the  wings  of  great  birds 
brushing  them  in  their  fight. 

In  considering  these  Andean  solitudes  the  most  striking  aspect 
they  present  is  the  terribly  bleak  and  desolate  appearance^  with 
no  trees  or  vegetation,  not  even  grass,  save  a  few  blades,  peeping 
out  here  and  there  from  cleft  or  crevice  in  the  rocks.  Imagine 
a  mighty  expanse  of  yellowish  sand  and  stone  with  towering  peaks 
on  all  sides,  their  stratification  so  varied  that  the  hues  of  the 
different  compositions  strike  the  sight  in  a  bewildering  array  of 
colors.  Torrents  of  brackish  water  rush  down  the  steep  sides,  in 
many  places  forming  deep  and  dangerous  holes,  which  make  the 
fording  very  perilous. 

At  length,  after  a  laborious  climb  which  completely  exhausted  our 
poor  animals,  we  came  to  the  pass  of  the  Cumbre  or  upper  ridge  of 
the  Cordilleras,  12,796  feet  above  sea-level.  This  is  the  most  dreary 
spot  I  think  I  have  ever  looked  upon,  a  place  which  makes  the 
shivers  run  down  the  spine,  yet  one  feels  thankful  that  it  is  the  cul- 
mination of  the  toilsome  ascent  and  that  from  here  onward  the 
journey  will  be  less  terrible,  and  that  soon  some  of  the  comforts  of 
railway  travel  will  be  experienced  again.  The  Cumbre  is  the  most 
dangerous  pass  on  the  whole  route,  on  account  of  the  storms  which 
sweep  over  it.  At  one  side  is  a  little  graveyard  with  many  wooden 
crosses,  silent  testimony  to  the  toll  taken  by  the  angry  gods  of  tb** 
mountains.  Aconcagua  is  distant  about  a  dozen  miles,  its  vast  pro- 
portions looking  like  the  battlements  of  some  stupendous  castle  con- 
jured up  by  the  fancy  or  evolved  from  the  legends  of  some  mythical 
past.  Torlosa  and  the  Torins  rise  on  either  side  like  colossal  sen- 
tinels, mutely  standing  to  guard  the  great  highway  that  connects  the 
two  republics  of  Chile  and  Argentina.    Hill  upon  hill  and  range  upon 


362  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

range  stretch  away  to  the  west,  dwindling  in  height  as  they  near 
the  coast.  When  the  sun  in  meridian  glory  illumines  the  crests 
and  sides  of  these  eternal  sentinels  of  creation,  it  seems  as  if  the 
Master  Builder  were  opening  the  doors  of  His  workshop  to  show 
us  the  might  of  His  handiwork  and  at  the  same  time  impress  us 
with  our  own  insignificance  and  weakness  in  face  of  His  own 
power  and  majesty.  No  one  can  look  upon  the  scene  without 
acknowledging  how  infinitesimal  are  the  proudest  works  of  man  in 
comparison  with  those  which  Nature  sets  up  for  his  wonderment 
and  instruction. 

Dreary  and  desolate  though  the  Cumbre  is,  the  view  from  it  is 
magnificent  and  sublime.  There  was  another  satisfaction  to  make 
up  for  its  inhospitable  appearance,  and  that  was  a  feeling  of  triumph 
that  we  had  conquered  the  dread  ascent  and  the  worst  was  over. 
Hitherto  we  had  been  struggling  upward,  but  the  struggle  was  past, 
the  difficulties  overcome  and  instead  of  having  to  look  above  to  the 
mountains  we  wxre  now  able  to  look  down  upon  them. 

Before  leaving  here  that  most  remarkable  statute,  known  as 
"Christo  Redentor,"  the  Christ  of  the  Andes,  claimed  our  attention. 
This  colossal  statute  is  placed  on  a  gigantic  column,  and  is  both 
imposing  and  impressive.  There  is  none  such  other  in  the  world,  and 
the  only  one  which  approaches  it  in  dimensions  is  Bartholdi's  "Lib- 
erty" in  New  York  Harbor.  Aside  from  its  size,  the  fact  that  it 
stands  on  a  pass  almost  13,000  feet  above  sea-level,  adds  to  its 
unique  distinction.  The  figure  of  Christ  is  twenty-six  feet  in  height ; 
one  hand  holds  a  cross  and  other  is  extended  ,as  if  invoking  a  bless- 
ing. It  was  erected  in  1904  as  a  symbol  of  perpetual  peace  be- 
tween the  two  nations,  and  was  cast  in  bronze  from  melted  cannon 
belonging  to  both.  On  the  base  of  the  pedestal  are  tfie  emblematic 
figures  of  Chile  and  Argentina  clasping  hands  as  if  ratifying  the 
settlement  of  the  boundary  dispute.  One  of  the  tablets  bears  the 
following  inscription : 

"Sooner  shall  these  mountains  crumble  into  dust  than  the  people  of 
Argentina  and  Chile  break  the  peace  to  which  the}^  have  pledged  tliemselves 
at  the  feet  of  Christ  the  Redeemer." 

Leaving  this  place  we  were  on  the  down  grade,  and  though  the 
road  was  winding  we  rapidly  made  the  descent  until  Los  Cuevas 
was  reached.  Indeed  so  rapid  was  our  pace  that  it  must  have 
resembled  a  Roman  chariot  race,  with  this  difference,  that  the  road 
we  bounded  and  bumped  over  was  exceedingly  narrow,  with  many 
turnings  and   slopings  of   such  precipitous   descent  that  a  sudden 


iDf.      PropiotlAil  (W   KdiUir  Ai'tllo  Oonifids,   Santiago. 

"CHRIST   THE    REDEEMER' 


NATURE'S  MAJESTIC  WORKSHOP  365 

plunge  or  runaway  might  have  resulted  in  us  reaching  Cuevas  in 
pieces  by  being  hurled  in  fragments  down  the  steep  decline  against 
the  walls  of  the  town.  But  we  landed  safe,  though  almost  exhausted 
and  veneered,  cap-a-pie  with  grime  and  dust.  We  were  right  glad 
to  sit  down  to  a  rather  meagre  lay-out  of  thin  soup,  vegetables,  and 
tough  steak,  probably  llama  joints.  That  simple  dejeuner  at  the  time 
tasted  better  to  me  than  any  elaborate  table  d'  hote  I  have  ever 
had  at  the  most  pretentious  hotels,  for  I  was  both  cold  and  hungry 

Los  Cuevas,  which  signifies  the  *'Caves,"  is,  as  we  have  said,  where 
one  gets  his  first  view  of  Argentina.  It  is  depressing,  a  scene  of  vast 
desolation,  a  wilderness  of  miserable  solitude  with  not  a  vestige  of 
vegetation  to  relieve  the  monotony.  Yet  there  is  a  marvelous  color- 
ing in  the  rock  strata,  and  this  with  the  white  glints  from  the  peaks 
in  the  distance  somewhat  relieves  the  eye. 

After  the  usual  and  often  useless  Customs  examinations  of  bag- 
gage we  again  took  the  train  for  Mendoza,  stopping  on  the  way 
at  Puento  del  Inca,  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  world,  where  the 
River  Mendoza  has  torn  through  the  rocks,  leaving  a  perfect  natural 
bridge  with  a  single  arch,  more  wonderful  than  any  I  have  seen 
thus  formed  elsewhere.  The  waters  which  bubble  beneath  are  said 
to  have  medicinal  qualities  and  there  is  a  tradition  that  the  old 
Inca  chiefs  came  here  to  recuperate  by  drinking  the  healing  fluid. 
There  is  an  hotel  there  now,  known  as  the  Hotel  del  Inca,  which  is 
claimed  to  be  a  health  resort  w^here  many  afflicted  with  mental  wor- 
ries and  bodily  ailments  go  to  get  rest  and  relief.  A  little  way  out 
from  here  is  a  curiously  shaped  mountain  called  '*Cerro  de  los 
Penitentes,"  that  is,  the  Ridge  of  the  Penitents,  so  called  because 
it  is  serrated  and  pinnacled  resembling  to  a  vivid  imagination  peni- 
tents kneeling  in  prayer.  Los  Vacas,  Uspallata,  La  Invernada,  and 
other  small  stations  are  passed.  The  route  follows  the  old  moun- 
tain road  called  Antiqua  Camino,  by  which  General  San  Martin 
made  his  famous  march  in  1818  from  Argentina  to  the  relief  of 
Chile  in  the  long  war  of  independence  from  Spain.  His  march 
over  the  Andes  deserves  as  high  a  place  in  military  history  as  the 
more  recorded  marches  of  Hannibal  and  Napoleon.  It  was  a  ter- 
rible journey  then,  and  there  is  no  improvement  in  that  region 
since,  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  a  little  worse,  as  there  have  been 
volcanic  upheavals  on  the  mountains  and,  besides,  the  process  of 
erosion  of  countless  ages  is  still  going  on,  the  slow  gnawing  of  the 
rocks,  the  mineral  particles  of  which  color  the  water  of  the  Mendoza 
River  so  that  in  places  it  has  a  metallic  sheen. 


366  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

After  passing  several  more  little  stations,  including  Rio  Blanca, 
where  we  saw  a  spouting  well  throwing  cold  water  one  nundred  feet 
in  air,  we  arrived  at  Mendoza,  where  we  found  an  elegant  Pullman 
car  awaiting  us,  attached  to  a  broad  gauge  train  of  the  Buenos  Aires 
and  Pacific  Railway,  the  line  running  from  this  place  to  the  big  city 
of  Argentina,  a  distance  of  about  six  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 

Mendoza  is  a  picturesque  town  of  about  30,000  inhabitants  lying 
at  the  foothills  of  the  Argentine  Andes.  It  is  an  oasis  in  the  midst 
of  a  desert.  It  is  the  westernmost  town  of  the  republic.  The  streets 
are  quite  wide  and  the  houses  almost  without  exception,  are  but 
one  story.  This  is  on  account  of  earthquakes.  Mendoza  got  a  fear- 
ful lesson  away  back  in  1861  and  is  taking  no  more  risks  than  it 
can  help.  On  that  date  occurred  one  of  the  worst  earthquakes  in 
the  history  of  the  world,  an  earthquake  accompanied  by  a  cyclonic 
waterspout.  The  town  was  almost  wiped  out  of  existence  and  about 
fifteen  thousand  persons  lost  their  lives, — some  authorities  give  the 
number  at  twenty-five  thousand.  Fire  and  lawlessness  added  to  the 
terrible  catastrophe.  A  new  Mendoza  has  arisen  since  and  is  a 
place  of  considerable  importance  and  trade.  There  are  many  hand- 
some streets,  good  public  buildings,  fine  private  houses  and  recrea- 
tion parks  for  the  people.  The  central  street  of  the  town  is  the 
broad  Avenue  de  San  Martin  ,an  alameda  with  double  rows  or  trees 
and  streams  of  water  that  run  either  side  of  the  roadway,  as  is  the 
case  in  the  principal  thoroughfare  of  Santiago.  The  street  is  cobble- 
stoned,  and  there  is  a  corso  or  carriage  drive  on  which  many  fine 
turnouts  can  be  seen, — landaus,  victorias,  broughams  and  even  auto- 
mobiles, for  many  Mendozians  are  wealthy  and  keep  up  with  the 
march  of  modern  style.  The  town  is  a  great  w4ne  center.  If  is 
surrounded  by  vineyards  which  have  become  very  profitable  to  the 
growers.  The  fruit  is  very  luscious  here,  and  is  produced  in  such 
abundance  that  large  quantities  are  shipped  as  plucked  to  other  parts 
for  making  jams  and  preserves  as  the  wine  manufacturers  cannot 
use  all  the  supply. 

The  great  prairie  pampas  of  this  region  are  about  nine  hundred 
miles  in  breadth.  On  leaving  the  base  of  the  Cordelleras  they  are 
covered  with  stunted  trees  and  tough  shrubs,  but  these,  farther  on, 
give  way  to  the  long  gray  grass,  and  sand  stretches,  peculiar  to  this 
Argentine  plain.  One  of  the  chief  discomforts  of  travel  is  the  dust 
which  shifts  in  through  windows  and  doors  until  it  is  almost  stifling. 
It  also  covers  the  person  with  a  yellowish  gray  coating,  which  is 
very  difficult  to  brush  ofif.     Another  unpleasantness  which  may  be 


NATURE'S  MAJESTIC  WORKSHOP  367 

experienced  is  the  pampero,  or  wind-storm,  which  often  comes  with 
the  fury  of  a  western  blizzard  driving  the  dust  in  clouds  before  it, 
interfering  seriously  with  the  traffic.  It  has  been  known  to  block  up 
the  track.  It  comes  after  a  great  drought  and  is  immediately  fol- 
lowed by  thunder  and  lightning  and  heavy  rains.  The  pampas  are 
not  destitute  of  life.  Scattered  over  this  wide  area  are  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  ostriches,  but  the  feathers  of  these  birds  are  not  as  valuable 
as  in  the  African  species.  There  are  also  many  flamingoes  which 
haunt  the  lagoons. 

Nearing  Buenos  Aires,  the  country  becomes  as  level  as  a  book 
leaf  and  the  train  traverses  fertile  fields,  in  which  wheat,  corn  and 
grazing  lands  alternate.  There  are  corn  stretches  miles  in  length, 
while  the  grass,  clover  and  alfalfa  pastures  would  delight  the  eye  of 
a  western  farmer.  This  section  impresses  one  with  the  great  agri- 
cultural resources  of  Argentina.  There  are  many  large  estancias 
or  estates  of  rich  cattle  owners.  We  were  told,  the  land  is  not  sold 
by  the  acre  as  with  us,  but  by  the  square  league  which  is  equivalent 
to  about  6,000  square  acres.  And  the  man  who  owns  but  a  square 
league  is  considered  a  very  small  farmer  indeed.  Statistics  show 
that  among  the  one  hundred  thousand  reported  land  owners  there 
is  an  average  holding  of  six  square  miles.  A  great  annoyance  to  the 
farmers  are  the  locusts  which  swarm  in  millions  over  the  pampas. 

There  are  not  many  large  stations  along  the  route  but  as  we 
had  only  a  passing  view  of  the  towns  beyond  them  I  cannot  ven- 
ture to  oflfer  an  opinion,  much  less  indulge  in  criticism.  We  finally 
arrived  in  Buenos  Aires,  wearied  and  worn  after  the  long  journey 
of  twenty-seven  hours,  hard  traveling  the  greater  part  of  the  way, 
and  were  sorely  in  need  of  the  comforts  of  a  first-class  hotel,  where 
ice  water  could  be  obtained. 


CHAPTER  XV 


THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  ARGENTINE 


LARGEST  CITY  IN   THE  SOUTHERN    HEMISPHERE 

Buenos  Aires  has  a  population  of  over  a  million  and  a  half. 
It  is  the  biggest  city  south  of  the  equator  and  the  largest  Spanish- 
speaking  center  in  the  world.  It  is  also  the  second  largest  strong- 
hold of  the  Latin  races;  also  the  second  largest  city  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith,  and  takes  rank  as  the  fourth  metropolis  of  the  West- 
ern continent.  It  has  been  styled  the  Athens  of  the  South,  but  the 
comparison  might  well  be  extended  to  the  Paris  or  London,  or  New 
York  of  the  Southland,  for  what  these  cities  are  to  their  respective 
countries,  Buenos  Aires  is  to  the  Argentine  Republic,  and  in  fact, 
to  all  South  America.  It  is  not  alone  the  political  capital  of  the 
country,  it  is  the  commercial  and  industrial  capital  and  the  financial, 
social  and  intellectual  center  as  well.  It  contains  more  than  a 
fifth  of  the  population  of  the  Republic,  and  considerably  more  than 
a  fifth  of  its  riches  and  influences.  The  important  families  have 
their  homes  here,  homes  of  wealth  and  princely  magnificence,  the 
large  merchants  and  millionaires  their  businesses  and  interests,  and 
the  statesmen,  representatives  and  professional  men  make  it  their 
headquarters.  It  is  the  hub,  the  pivot  on  which  turn  the  wheels  of 
business,  industry  and  commerce. 

The  growth  of  this  city  has  been  amazing.  Though  founded  cen- 
turies ago,  the  greater  part  of  it  is  quite  modern.  The  Spaniards 
made  a  settlement  about  1535,  but  for  generations  there  was  only  a 
collection  of  rude  shanties  and  mud  huts  which  gave  but  little 
promise  of  the  splendid  buildings  of  the  present  time.  Lots,  square 
miles  in  area,  if  lots  they  could  be  called,  might  have  been  obtained 
for  a  few  pesos,  but  there  were  none  to  buy,  and  so  the  land  lay 

368  , 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  HEMISPHERE      369 

waste  for  many  years.  At  length  people  were  attracted  to  the  mud 
flats  and  the  place  brightened  up  a  little,  yet  the  growth  was  slow  for 
a  long  time.  There  were  about  3,000  of  a  population  when  the 
American  Revolution  broke  out.  By  the  time  of  our  Civil  War, 
it  had  increased  to  50,000,  but  the  great  rush  to  found  homes  only 
began  about  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  so  ago.  During  the  closing 
years  of  the  last  century  the  place  became  the  boom  center  of  the 
Southern  continent,  and  since  then  the  growth  has  been  phenon- 
menal.  The  city  increased  with  almost  as  great  a  proportion  as 
New  York  or  Chicago.  Population  gained  at  the  rate  of  100,000  a 
year  and  great  buildings  were  erected  with  marvelous  rapidity. 
Many  of  these  are  from  six  to  eight  stories  and  very  solidly  con- 
structed. The  skyscraper  is  not  allowed  on  account  of  possible 
earthquakes,  but  at  any  rate  there  is  no  necessity  for  it,  as  there  is 
a  wide  area  for  distribution.  There  is  no  congestion  of  business 
space  calling  for  tall  buildings,  with  numerous  offices,  as  is  the  case 
in  the  large  cities  of  the  North. 

The  port  has  been  made  to  keep  pace  with  the  buildings  and  the 
importance  of  the  city  as  a  commercial  emporium.  Thirty  years 
ago  there  was  only  a  flat  mud-bar  along  the  water-front,  and  ships 
had  to  anchor  several  miles  out  in  the  river.  Both  passengers  and 
freight  had  to  be  conveyed  to  the  shore  in  lighters  and  rowboats, 
and  before  a  landing  could  be  effected  high-wheeled  carts  had  to  be 
pushed  into  the  water,  and  on  these  the  passengers  scrambled  to 
reach  the  shore  without  getting  wet.  As  the  trade  increased  some- 
thing had  to  be  done  to  remedy  this  states  of  afifairs.  The  civic 
fathers  put  their  heads  together  with  the  result  that  an  English 
engineer  was  brought  out  who  planned  and  carried  to  completion 
a  system  of  docks  at  a  cost  of  $40,000,000.  Five  great  basins  were 
constructed  which  extended  along  the  river-front  for  three  miles. 
The  tonnage  of  the  port  soon  increased  to  a  million,  and  additional 
basins  became  necessary.  Now  the  tonnage  is  about  12,000,000 
annually,  which  makes  Buenos  Aires  one  of  the  foremost  ports 
in  the  world.  A  splendid  custom-house  has  been  erected  at  a 
cost  of  almost  $2,000,000  to  provide  room  and  give  facility  to  the 
large  working  force  required  to  look  after  such  a  big  export  and 
import  trade. 

It  is  at  the  docks  that  a  good  idea  may  be  gathered  of  the  vast 
importance  of  the  place,  not  only  as  a  shipping  center,  but  as  a  great 
bustling  hive  of  industry,  keenly  alert  to  the  spirit  of  modern 
progress.     The  streets  are  crowded,  and  the  wagon  traffic   is   so 


370  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

heavy  as  scarcely  to  admit  of  a  foot  passenger  getting  across  from 
one  side  to  the  other.  Hundreds  of  trucks  and  drays  are  busy  haul- 
ing merchandise  to  and  from  the  railroad  freight  depots  and  the 
commission  houses.  Along  the  wharves  the  vast  warehouses  are 
piled  from  floor  to  ceilings  with  all  kinds  of  commodities,  either 
home  products  waiting  to  be  shipped  to  other  ports,  or  foreign 
goods  consigned  to  the  merchants  and  brokers  of  the  city.  Beyond 
the  edge  of  the  basins  can  be  seen  a  range  of  funnels,  poles  and 
spars,  belonging  to  ships  of  all  nations  here  to  discharge  their  cargoes 
and  take  on  new  supplies.  From  the  tall  masts  you  can  see  flying 
the  flags  of  the  principal  nations — England,  Germany,  France,  Aus- 
tria, Italy,  Spain,  etc.  The  flag  of  the  United  States  is  rarely  seen. 
Of  the  thousands  of  vessels  entering  the  harbor  every  year  scarcely 
half-a-dozen  sail  under  the  colors  of  Uncle  Sam.  Sometimes  there 
is  such  a  congestion  of  shipping  that  freighters  have  to  wait  for 
weeks  before  they  can  enter  the  basins  to  have  their  cargoes  dis- 
charged. 

The  busy  streets  also  exemplify  the  increasing  activities  and! 
strenuous  life  of  the  city.  They  are  generally  thronged  from  morn- 
ing till  night  with  eager,  anxious  crowds,  rushing  hither  and  thither 
on  business  intent,  while  cabs,  carriages,  automobiles  and  taxis  go 
clanging  and  whizzing  along  seemingly  reckless  of  the  safety  of  the 
pedestrians ;  yet,  there  are  very  few  accidents,  for  the  traffic  is  cer- 
tainly well  regulated.  The  street-cars  and  vehicles  are  allowed  to 
go  only  one  way  on  one  street,  and  must  return  by  another  thorough- 
fare. Thus,  by  a  certain  street  they  proceed  east,  but  they  cannot 
come  back  through  that  street — the  western  or  return  trip  must  be 
taken  through  another,  which  is  generally  the  next  street.  This 
seems  a  wise  arrangement  and  diminishes  collision  and  danger  to 
the  vanishing  point.  Moreover,  uniformed  policemen  are  stationed 
at  the  intersections  most  congested  and  take  care  that  foot  travelers 
get  across  in  safety.  What  makes  the  streets  seem  so  crowded  and 
accidents  liable  to  happen  is  their  extreme  narrowness,  besides  which 
they  are  built  right  out  to  the  street-line.  These  narrow  thorough- 
fares are  relics  from  the  old  days  of  the  shanties  and  mud  huts, 
when  it  never  was  dreamed  that  a  mighty  modern  city  would 
raise  itself  on  the  site  of  these  primitive  dwellings.  Many  of  the 
business  streets  are  only  thirty-three  feet  wide.  Some  of  these  are 
Congallo,  Bartolome,  Cuyo,  25th  of  May,  San  Martin  and  the  Calle 
Florida.  Now  there  is  a  city  ordinance  by  which  no  new  street 
can  be  opened  less  than  sixty  feet  in  width. 


IRD'S  JCVE   VIEW  OF   BUENOS  AIRES   FROM   "LA   PRENSA' 
BUILDING 


;ii^^ 


LOOKING  FROM  "LA  PREXSA"  DOME 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  HEMISPHERE      373 

The  Calle  Florida  is  the  fashionable  shopping  street.  It  is  Uned 
with  splendid  stores,  every  other  one  of  which  seems  to  be  a 
jeweler's.  Watches  , diamonds,  brilliants,  pendants,  necklaces, 
trinkets  and  other  ornaments  flash  in  the  windows  in  dazzling  array 
to  captivate  the  eyes  of  the  passing  shoppers.  Most  of  them  are  well 
patronized,  for  the  people  are  extremely  fond  of  display  and  a  large 
proportion  can  very  well  afford  to  adorn  their  persons  with  what 
takes  their  fancy  in  the  way  of  costly  attractions.  Especially  in  tlie 
afternoons  is  this  street  crowded.  From  about  four  o'clock  to  six 
o'clock  the  throngs  are  so  dense  that  it  is  difficult  to  make  one's 
way  to  any  objective  point.  The  rank  and  fashion  of  the  metropolis 
— well-dressed  gentlemen  and  ladies — are  out  in  their  autos,  landaus 
and  victorias,  surveying  the  pedestrians  from  their  leisurely  points 
of  vantage  as  they  slowly  roll  along,  lolling  back  on  their  silken  cush- 
ions, taking  life  easy  in  that  dolce  far  niente  way  which  is  the 
envy  of  the  proletariat  or  working  classes.  Sometimes  the  con- 
gestion of  foot  traffic  is  so  great  on  this  street  during  the  afternoon 
hours  that  no  wheeled  vehicle  is  allowed  to  enter.  Then  miladi  and 
her  lord  have  to  condescend  to  foot  it,  like  the  ordinary  citizens,  and 
brush  skirts  and  coats  with  Pedro  and  Alonzo  and  Juanita  and 
Carmencita  from  the  lower  walks  of  life,  who  earn  their  bread,  as 
well  as  their  leisure  time,  in  the  sweat  of  their  brows.  The  ubiqui- 
tous young  idlers  common  to  all  large  cities,  the  "Johnny  Boys"* 
and  "Smart  Alecks,"  who  neither  live  by  their  brains  nor  their 
hands,  are  much  in  evidence.  These  would-be  dandies  stand  at  the 
corners  twirling  their  moustaches  a  la  Kaiser  Wilhelm,  the  while 
puffing  their  cigarettes  and  all  the  time  looking  for  an  opportunity 
to  ogle  the  sweet-faced  little  senoritas  as  they  pass  by.  We  are 
well  accustomed  to  this  despicable  genus  in  the  cities  of  the  Untied 
States,  but  it  is  even  more  obnoxious  in  the  Southern  capital. 

A  striking  contrast  to  the  other  narrow  streets  is  the  wide 
asphalted  boulevard  called  the  Avenida  de  Mayo.  This,  being  near 
the  heart  of  the  city,  wtth  its  rows  of  stately  trees  and  fine  stores, 
hotels  and  office  buildings,  reminds  one  of  the  Champs  Elysees  in 
Paris.  It  has  nothing  of  old  Spain  about  it,  none  of  the  low  one- 
story  buildings,  but  everything  quite  up  to  date — modern  and  impos- 
ing in  appearance.  There  are  many  open-air  cafes  on  the  broad 
sidewalks.  These  also  help  to  emphasize  a  resemblance  to  the 
famous  Parisian  boulevard.  The  construction  of  this  splendid  ave- 
nue is  said  to  have  cost  $12,000,000.  It  is  constantly  being  beauti- 
fied and  chaste  and  imposing  buildings  are  still  being  erected  to  look 


374  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

down  upon  it.  Already  it  is  considered  one  of  the  finest  streets 
in  the  world,  and  in  time  may  lead  all  others  in  stately  grandeur 
and  magnificent  display.  At  night,  when  it  is  lighted  up  by  electricity, 
its  appearance  is  particularly  impressive.  As  we  walked  beneath  its 
trees  while  the  long  line  of  arc-lamps  stretched  out  in  far  perspective 
before  us,  scientillating  and  sparkling  against  the  darkness  overhead, 
it  seemed  like  some  long-drawn-out  passage  to  fairyland,  or  so'hie 
golden  paved  highway  leading  to  an  abode  of  the  gods,  upon  which 
mortal  feet  must  tread  stealthily  and  mortal  eyes  look  with  wonder 
and  admiration.  I  thought  of  some  of  the  famous  streets  I  had 
seen,  but  none  of  them  appealed  to  me  so  much  as  this,  with  the 
magic  mantle  of  night  upon  it,  and  the  stars  of  the  Southern  Cross 
blinking  down,  as  if  ashamed  of  their  pale  and  feeble  light  in  con- 
trast with  the  brilliant  bulbs  of  glowing  radiance  which  man  had 
flung  out  in  defiance  to  the  darkness  of  space. 

At  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  avenue,  is  the  Plaza  de  Mayo, 
which  covers  eight  acres,  and  upon  which  face  the  Cathedral,  the 
President's  House,  Congress,  the  Courts  and  the  bolsa  or  Stock 
Exchange. 

The  Palace  of  Congress  is  a  noble  building  not  long  completed. 
It  was  thirteen  years  in  erection  and  the  cost  was  almost  $10,000,000. 
With  its  great  dome  and  its  Cornithian  columns  it  reminds  the 
observer  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington  when  viewed  from  the  end 
of  Pennsylvania  Avenue. 

The  Cathedral  is  a  great  building,  but  not  an  imposing  one.  It 
was  modeled  after  the  church  of  the  Madeleine  in  Paris,  and  looks 
more  like  a  government  structure  or  art  gallery  than  a  place  of 
worship.  It  covers  an  acre  and  will  seat  about  9,000,  though  there 
is  rarely  half  that  number  in  it  at  one  time,  despite  the  fact  that 
Buenos  Aires,  wiith  the  exception  of  New  York,  has  more  Catholics 
than  any  other  city  on  earth.  In  fact  about  97  per  cent,  of  all  the 
people  of  Argentina  are  Catholic.  But  the  truth  is  that  the  Porteno 
has  grown  luke-warm  in  his  faith,  he  has  fallen  away  from  the 
intensity  of  fervor  and  religious  spirit  which  characterized  his  An- 
cestors. The  cause  of  this  is  not  our  province  to  touch  upon,  but  the 
effect  any  one  can  see  for  himself.  Most  observers  would  be  inclined 
to  believe  that  the  luxurous  lives  and  idleness  of  the  priests  have 
had  much  to  do  in  turning  the  people  away  from  religion.  Pro- 
fessing to  be  followers  and  disciples  of  the  lowly  Nazarene,  who 
"led  a  life  of  poverty  and  suffering,"  they  wallow  in  purple  and 
fine  linen,  partake  of  the  good  things  of  the  earth,  eat,  drink  and 


AVENIDA    DE    MAYO.    BUENOS    AIRES 


CALl.E   FLORIDA,   RUENOS  AIRKS 


375 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  HEMISPHERE      Z77 

are  merry,  and  never  give  a  thought  to  suffering  or  sorrow.  They 
make  an  apotheosis  of  self,  and  place  it  on  the  altar  of  their  own 
indulgence  and  laziness,  where  they  worship  it  night  and  day. 

During  the  reign  of  the  Spaniards  the  priests  and  monks  had  very 
great  influence,  and  the  dimensions  and  archteictural  splendors  as 
well  as  the  furnishings  of  the  many  churches  throughout  the  land 
show  the  power  and  riches  they  possessed.  I  could  not  help  com- 
paring some  of  these  churches  with  their  pictures  and  statutes,  their 
gold  and  silver  ornaments,  their  candles  and  incense  and  mighty 
organs,  with  the  quiet  little  church  in  the  village  where  I  was  born, 
with  its  bare  walls  and  simple  pulpit  and  wooden  benches,  yet  with 
an  air  of  sanctity  hanging  around  it  which  breathed  of  reverence 
and  true  worship.  South  American  churches  were  built  principally 
for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  to  the  Christian  faith,  and  it  is 
melancholy  to  think  that  the  priests  should  have  attempted  to  do 
by  pomp  and  show  and  display  of  wealth  what  would  have  been 
performed  effectively  by  reason  and  kindness  and  humility.  These 
worldly  but  not  spiritual  pastors  made  their  temples  as  attractive 
as  possible,  and  men  were  called  to  see  and  admire  instead  of  to 
listen  and  to  reflect. 

Besides  the  Cathedral  there  are  twenty-four  other  Catholic 
churches  in  Buenos  Aires.  There  are  four  Protestant  churches,  the 
chief  of  which  is  the  American  Methodist  church  which  is  very  well 
attended.  Of  course  there  is  no  restriction  on  any  religion,  and 
happily  little  of  the  rampant  and  vindictive  bigotry  shown  toward 
Protestant  missionaries  and  colporteurs,  which  characterize  so  many 
other  centers  of  the  country. 

The  hotels  and  restaurants  are  very  good,  quite  as  good  if  not 
better  than  those  of  our  own  cities.  I  put  up  at  the  Grand 
Hotel,  which  is  probably  the  most  central  and  best  in  the  city, 
where  the  service  was  excellent,  the  cuisine  all  that  could  be  desired 
and  the  attendants  courteous  and  anxious  to  please.  There  are 
many  fine  cafes  and  rathskellers,  for  the  Porteiios  are  fond  of  the 
good  things  of  the  table,  and  while  there  are  no  Lucullian  feasts, 
there  are  often  great  banquets,  for  which  almost  all  the  countries  of 
the  world  are  laid  under  contribution,  where  there  is  "flow  of  Wine 
and  feast  of  soul"  and  dishes  to  delight  the  most  fastidious  epicurean 
or  censorious  gastronomist.  Perhaps  the  best-known  retaurant  is 
the  ''Sportsman,''  which  is  to  Buenos  Aires  what  Delmonicos  was 
to  New  York.  Here  any  kind  of  dish  may  be  obtained,  and  the 
gourmand,  if  he  likes,  can  glut  his  appetite  with  the  choicest  viands 


378  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

of  European  lands,  as  well  as  the  concoctions  of  native  soil.  He  can 
order  pate  de  foie  gras,  or  Russian  caviare,  or  kangaroo  steak,  and 
as  for  liquid  refreshments  he  can  have  burgundies,  moselles,  sau- 
terne,  hock  or  any  of  the  choicest  productions  of  the  Rhineland 
or  the  sunny  fields  of  France.  Should  his  appetite  crave  something 
stronger  he  can  call  for  Jamieson's  ''Seven-year  Old"  Irish,  or 
''Kingussie"  or  "Glenlivet"  Scotch,  but  these  ardent  liquors  are  not 
very  suitable  to  the  climate. 

There  is  generally  music  in  the  leading  restaurants  and,  of  late, 
free  moving  picture  shows  are  provided  for  the  delectation  of  pa- 
trons. To  obtain  a  seat  at  certain  hours  it  is  necessary  to  make 
arrangements  beforehand,  for  the  attractions  are  so  many  that 
diners  are  liable  to  linger  long  at  the  tables.  As  a  general  rule  a 
meal  begins  with  a  dish  of  cold  meats,  followed  by  the  soup.  Then 
several  kinds  of  meat  and  fish  are  brought  in,  and  lastly  a  pastry 
or  some  sweet  confection  to  serve  as  a  dessert.  In  one  of  these 
restaurants  we  had  some  "Yerba  Mate,"  or  Paraguayan  tea,  a  native 
drink  which  is  very  popular  and  which  seems  to  tickle  the  South 
American  palate.  This  tea  is  mostly  used  with  sugar  and  hot  water. 
It  was  served  to  us  in  a  large  gourd  nicely  carved.  On  account  of 
its  being  in  very  fine  form,  it  leaves  a  sediment  on  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel,  and  to  prevent  this  from  interfering  with  the  liquid,  the  infu- 
sion is  sucked  through  a  tube  having  a  strainer  at  the  end.  This 
tube  is  called  a  "bombilla"  and  is  generally  made  of  silver  or  brass. 
The  concoction  was  not  to  our  liking,  for  the  taste  was  rather  herby 
and  bitter,  yet  South  Americans  often  have  nothing  else  for  their 
early  breakfast.  It  is  considered  very  nourishing,  and,  somewhat 
like  opium,  it  has  the  double  effect  of  soothing  the  nerves  and  stimu- 
lating the  spirits.  The  gauchos  of  the  plains  will  travel  on  horse- 
back for  weeks  asking  no  better  fare  than  dried  beef  washed  down 
by  copious  draughts  of  "Mate."  The  tree  from  which  this  tea  is 
obtained  is  a  species  of  holly,  which  was  grown  by  the  Jesuits  on 
their  plantations  in  Paraguay  and  on  their  branch  missions  in  the 
provinces  of  Paraiia  and  San  Pedro  de  Rio  Grande,  and  it  is  from 
these  places  that  the  supply  comes  at  the  present  time. 

There  are  many  fine  parks  in  and  around  the  city,  as  well  as  nu- 
merous places  where  the  "good  airs"  may  be  enjoyed.  Of  the 
former,  Palermo  is  the  chief;  it  is  the  "Rotten  Row"  of  Buenos 
Aires.  Leading  out  to  it  is  the  Avenida  Alvear,  which  in  itself  is  a 
striking  street  with  its  splendid  residences  of  wealth  and  luxury. 
The  mansions  which  line  it  are  interspersed  with  lovely  plazas  and 


PLAZA    VICTORIA,    BUENOS    AIRES 


CAPITAL    AND    CONGRESSIONAL     BUILDING,     BUENOS 
AIRES 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  HEMISPHERE      381 

blooming  gardens,  the  profusion  of  flowers  and  verdure  giving  a 
unique  beauty  to  the  whole.  It  was  with  much  interest  as  well  as 
curiosity  that  we  watched  the  rank  and  wealth  and  fashion  and 
beauty  of  the  Southern  metropolis  in  their  magnificent  equipages  and 
turnouts  driving  along  this  palm-fringed  avenue  on  their  way  to  and 
from  Palermo  Park.  Society  drives  and  rides  here  every  after- 
noon, and  often  there  is  upward  of  a  thousand  carriages  and  other 
vehicles  in  line.  Palermo  Park  is  about  half  an  hour's  ride  from  the 
heart  of  the  city.  It  is  a  scene  of  verdure  and  vegetation  of  life  and 
loveliness  that  is  truly  charming  and  irresistibly  captivating.  Al- 
though below  the  tropics  there  is  a  tropical  luxuriance  of  growth. 
The  stately  palm  thrives  here,  and  different  species  of  eucalypti., 
with  gourds,  gardenias,  tuberoses,  oleanders,  feathery  ferns  and 
many  other  varities  of  flowers  and  plants  appealing  to  the  eye  and 
pleasing  to  the  olfactory  nerves.  Around  the  park  are  the  principal 
sporting  and  play-grounds,  and  through  it  runs  a  broad  boulevard 
which  leads  out  to  Belgrano,  a  fashionable  suburb  of  the  city  where 
there  are  many  homes  palatial  in  arrangements  and  princely  in 
adornment. 

Another  park  that  may  be  mentioned  is  the  Paseo  Cristobal  Colon 
(Columbus),  very  artistically  laid  out  and  having  many  fine  trees 
and  beautiful  shrubbery.  It  does  much  credit  to  the  landscape  artists, 
when  it  is  taken  into  consideration  that  twenty  years  ago  the  site 
was  a  marshy  strip  of  ground  occupied  by  docks,  unsightly  and  un- 
clean, and  seemingly  incapable  of  being  transformed  into  the  bowers 
of  beauty  which  make  up  the  present  park. 

The  *'J^i*<ii"^  Botanico"  is  another  spot  of  tropical  profusion  and 
costly  magnificence,  where  Nature  is  forced  to  put  forth  her  best 
efforts  to  beautify  and  please.  In  fact  the  parks  and  plazas  make  of 
Buenos  Aires  a  very  garden  city,  ever  presenting  a  varied  assortment 
of  floral  delights  to  the  eye.  Shades  of  color,  verdure  and  loveli- 
ness seemed  to  greet  us  at  every  turn. 

The  "Hippodrome,"  or  race  course,  cannot  be  omitted  from  de- 
scription. The  Argentinians  are  a  sport-loving  people.  There  is  an 
exclusive  Jockey  Club  made  up  of  wealthy  residents  with  a  very 
high  entrance- fee  and  annual  dues  which  only  the  rich  can  afford  to 
pay.  It  is  open  only  to  natives.  The  races  are  held  on  Sunday  after- 
noons from  twelve  o'clock  to  three  o'clock.  The  crowds  gather  to 
the  extent  of  many  thousands,  and  the  scene  is  very  animated  and 
gay,  variegated  and  picturesque,  with  the  bright  costumes  of  the 
ladies  who  take  as  much  delight  in  the  sports  as  their  male  escorts 


382  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

and  companions.  Probably,  too,  the  love  of  show,  as  everywhere 
else,  is  another  consideration  with  them,  as  it  is  an  excellent  place 
to  display  their  rich  and  fashionable  costumes.  Carriages  and  auto- 
mobiles are  drawn  up  along  the  curb  while  the  races  are  being  run, 
and  lorgnettes,  spy-glasses  and  opera  glasses  are  much  in  evidence. 
As  soon  as  the  races  are  over  the  long  line  of  vehicles  wend  their  way 
to  Palermo  Park  and  there  throng  the  driveways  beneath  the  palms 
until  sunset,  when  they  return  to  the  city  in  a  resplendent  procession. 

There  are  many  theaters  in  the  city  which  have  a  brilliant  season 
beginning  in  June.  The  Porterios  are  very  fond  of  the  play  and 
willing  to  pay  fancy  prices,  therefore  the  managers  are  able  to  offer 
big  salaries  to  tempt  the  very  best  talent  of  Europe  and  other  coun- 
tries. The  Teatro  Colon  is  the  largest  opera-house  in  South  America. 
It  enjoys  a  government  subsidy  and  is  able  to  secure  the  famous 
song-birds  of  all  lands.  Most  of  the  world's  greatest  artists  in  the 
operatic  line  have  trodden  its  boards  at  some  time  in  their  career.  It 
is  capable  of  accommodating  thousands,  and  is  nightly  packed  during 
the  season  by  a  fashionably  dressed  audience.  The  ladies  make  a 
lavish  display  of  their  jewelry — diamond  tiaras,  ropes  of  pearls  and 
crescents,  costing  a  fortune,  flash  and  scintillate  in  the  myriad  of 
lights  with  a  splendor  worthy  of  London  or  New  York  at  their  best. 
Some  of  the  boxes  cost  a  thousand  dollars  a  season  and  the  price 
is  readily  paid. 

The  Moving  Picture  show  has  invaded  Buenos  Aires  and  with  a 
vengeance.  Exhibitions  of  shocking  indecency  are  countenanced  and 
films  permitted  which  would  be  tabooed  in  any  city  or  town  in  the 
United  States.  It  is  a  pity  there  is  no  Board  of  Censors  to  regulate 
the  representations  put  before  the  common  people  in  this  respect. 
As  it  is,  the  pictures  shown  for  the  most  part  are  subversive  of 
morals  which,  instead  of  being  thus  weakened  are  in  much  need  of 
strengthening,  for  the  tide  of  morality  is  at  a  low  ebb  in  the  Argen- 
tine capital.  As  has  been  said,  the  Catholic  Church  has  lost  its  grip 
on  the  people,  the  clergy  do  not  show  a  good  example,  and  as  a 
consequence  there  is  no  restraining  influence  to  keep  them  in  the 
straight  and  narrow  path,  so  they  stray  away  led  by  their  own  pas- 
sions, and  the  Moving  Pictures  are  pushing  them  farther  on  the 
down  grade. 

As  may  be  expected  there  are  many  newspapers  in  Buenos  Aires. 
The  best  one,  and  one  of  the  best  in  the  world,  is  La  Prensa,  which 
has  its  stately  three-million  dollar  home  on  the  Avenida  de  Mayo. 
La  Prensa,  signifying  the  Press,  is  a  newspaper  of  which  any  coun- 


PICTURESQUE    FOUNTAIN,    BUENOS    AIRES 


TOMB    OF   BELGRANO.   BUENOS  AIRES 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  HEMISPHERE      385 

try  might  well  be  proud.  Although  its  circulation  is  but  120,000, 
it  maintains  a  news  service  which  covers  the  world.  In  North  Amer- 
ica it  is  served  by  an  arrangement  reciprocal  with  the  New  York 
Herald.  It  is  an  independent  organ,  not  under  government  control 
in  any  way.  Its  statements  are  always  taken  as  facts.  If  LaPrenza 
says  anything  is  so,  the  Argentinian  will  swear  it  must  be  so.  Its 
editorials  are  scanned  and  digested  from  one  end  of  the  Republic 
to  the  other,  and  in  fact  all  over  South  America,  for  it  has  readers 
throughout  the  continent.  It  publishes  more  foreign  news  than  any 
newspaper  in  the  world,  generally  never  less  than  two  pages  of  for- 
eign cablegrams,  principally  from  Europe.  In  the  treatment  of  all 
questions  it  maintains  a  lofty  tone  and  judicial  dignity  and  displays 
a  fearlessness  much  to  be  admired.  The  home  of  this  newspaper 
is  one  of  the  imposing  sights  of  the  city.  Besides  the  extensive  plant 
of  this  great  modern  journal  there  are  several  departments  in  the 
building  for  the  good  of  the  public  and  the  glory  of  the  city.  There 
is  a  large  hall  for  lectures  and  public  meetings  as  well  as  musical 
entertainments  and  private  operas ;  suites  of  rooms  for  receiving 
distinguished  foreigners  or  guests  of  the  city ;  a  dispensary  attended 
by  competent  physicians  who  administer  to  the  sick  without  charge ; 
a  legal-room,  where  full  legal  advice  can  be  obtained ;  a  large  read- 
ing-room and  a  well  stocked  library  free  to  all,  and  private  rooms 
for  the  reporters  and  others  connected  with  the  paper. 

The  next  journal  in  importance  is  La  Nacion,  which  has  a  large 
and  distinguished  clientele.  El  Pais,  Trihuna,  El  Pueblo,  El  Tiempo. 
La  Argentina  and  La  Razon  are  some  of  the  other  leading  dailies. 
The  principal  evening  paper  is  El  Diario  which  is  issued  at  four 
o'clock.  In  all  there  are  some  five  hundred  different  publications  in 
the  metropolis,  composing  indeed  a  most  polyglot  press.  Four  hun- 
dred and  twelve  are  printed  in  the  Spanish  language,  twenty-two  in 
Italian,  eight  in  English,  eight  in  French,  eight  in  German.  The 
Dutch,  Swedish  and  Danish  are  represented  by  one  each,  and  there 
is  one  in  Arabic.  There  are  two  hundred  weeklies,  sixty-four 
monthlies  and  sixty-six  dailies.  The  maintenance  of  such  a  vast 
number  indubitably  proves  that  Buenos  Aires  is  a  reading  city,  and 
indeed  it  is,  and,  besides,  a  very  well  educated  one.  There  are  sixty- 
seven  buildings  devoted  to  educational  purposes  and  the  total  cost  of 
keping  them  up  runs  into  millioms  of  pesos  annually.  Some  of  the 
schools  would  do  credit  to  any  of  the  large  cities  of  our  own  country. 
It  is  pleasing  to  note  that  the  system  of  education  is  being  modeled 
after  that  of  the  United  States. 


386  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

The  University  is  one  of  the  great  educational  institutions  of  the 
New  World.  The  buildings  are  scattered  over  the  city  in  different 
sections  as  various  departments  have  been  added  from  time  to  time, 
the  site  of  each  depending  on  facility  of  acquirement,  suitableness  of 
location  and  other  circumstances.  At  present  there  are  about  five 
thousand  students  enrolled,  and  about  half  of  these  are  studying 
medicine.  The  College  of  Medicine  of  the  University  is  a  large  and 
well-equipped  institution.  The  Department  of  Law  and  Social 
Science  also  claims  many  of  the  students.  There  are  no  less  than 
sixteen  hospitals,  most  of  them  maintained  by  the  municipal  or  fed- 
eral government.  Well-qualified  physicians  are  in  attendance.  There 
are  many  homes,  asylums,  orphanages  and  institutes  for  the  aged  and 
unfortunate.  There  are  not  many  aged,  however,  for  longevity  is 
not  a  striking  characteristic  of  Buenos  Aires.  Though  the  Spanisl 
freebooter,  Pedro  de  Mendoza,  named  it  "good  airs,"  the  air  is  not 
particularly  good,  nor  the  percentage  of  life-giving  ozone  very  high. 
On  the  contrary,  sometimes  the  air,  especially  when  there  is  a  fog, 
is  bad.  The  fact  is,  the  name  had  no  reference  to  the  air  at  all. 
Mendoza,  like  the  rest  of  the  saint-worshiping  cut-throats  of  his 
country,  wanted  to  honor  one  of  them,  so  he  called  the  site  of  the 
settlement  after  the  Virgin  Maria  de  Buenos  Ayres  of  old  Spain. 
That  the  air  is  not  good  is  borne  out  by  the  high  death-rate,  thirty- 
three  in  the  thousand,  which  beats  "muggy"  old  London  itself  and 
places  this  wrongly  named  city  almost  at  the  head  of  the  mortality 
Hst. 

Speaking  of  mortality,  Buenos  Aires  can  be  said  to  remember  its 
dead  with  a  silent  eloquence  that  well  indicates  the  sorrow  and  appre- 
ciation of  the  living.  It  has  one  of  the  finest  cemeteries  on  the  con- 
tinent, that  known  as  the  Ricoleta  Cemetery,  which  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a  small  city  of  marble  and  granite  with  paved  narrow  streets 
between  the  vaults  that  line  either  side.  These  vaults  are  of  many 
sizes  and  conditions,  some  small,  others  large ;  some  grand,  others 
unpretentious,  according  as  they  are  the  last  homes  of  the  wealthy 
departed,  or  the  humble  tenements  of  the  dead  poor,  whose  friends 
have  been  unable  to  erect  a  costly  mausoleum  over  their  remains 
Some  of  the  vaults  contain  scores  of  bodies.  In  each  there  is  an 
entrance-room,  generally  furnished  as  a  mortuary  chapel.  Some 
times  you  may  see  in  this  room  a  marble  slab  containing  the  coffin 
of  some  distinguished  member  of  the  family,  but,  as  a  general  rule, 
all  the  coffins  are  placed  in  the  vault  beneath.  Usually  the  room  is 
filled  with  flowers,  real  or  artificial,  to  testify  to  the  remembrance 


'WE    MUST   WALK.    OTHERS    CAN    RIDE' 


IN  THE  ZOOLOGICAL  GARDENS,  BUENOS  AIRES 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  HEMISPHERE      389 

of  the  living  and  their  affection  for  the  dead.  This  particular  "God's 
acre"  up  to  the  present  time  is  said  to  contain  about  300,000  bodies. 
There  are  some  peculiar  funeral  customs.  Funerals  are  of  first, 
second  and  third  class,  depending  upon  the  rank,  wealth  and  con- 
dition of  the  deceased.  A  first-class  funeral  is  very  elaborate.  The 
hearse,  a  heavy  lumbering  coach  of  black  ebony,  is  ornately  carved 
and  drawn  by  black  horses.  Footmen  and  coachmen  in  somber  black 
livery  are  provided  for  the  occasion,  and  servants  are  posted  at  the 
door  of  the  church  to  take  the  cards  of  those  who  attend  and  those 
who  send  regrets  for  their  absence.  The  death-notices  are  widely 
advertised  in  the  newspapers,  so  as  to  draw  large  crowds.  Scores  of 
mourning  coaches  follow  the  hearse,  the  larger  the  number  the  more 
pleasing  to  the  friends  of  the  deceased,  as  the  number  of  coaches  is 
looked  upon  as  proportional  to  the  respect  in  which  the  family  is  held. 

One  morning  we  visited  the  markets  of  Buenos  Aires.  They  are 
very  interesting  places,  particularly  in  the  early  hours  before  the 
supplies  are  diminished,  and  all  is  bustle  and  life.  One  is  impressed 
by  the  great  quantities  of  produce  which  overflow  the  side-walks  and 
corners.  There  are  fruits  by  the  ton,  vegetables  by  the  van-load, 
butchers'  meats  in  carcasses  and  joints,  and  in  short,  everything  for 
the  consumption  of  a  great  city  in  lavish  abundance.  There  were 
thousands  of  dozens  of  eggs,  and  pears  and  peaches  enough  to  fill 
the  largest  warehouse.  These  fruits,  with  the  Mendoza  grape,  are 
of  the  finest  quality,  but  their  great  abundance  does  not  render  them 
cheap,  for  they  are  almost  as  dear  as  in  the  United  States.  Meats 
are  cheap,  especially  in  the  afternoon,  for  the  law  compels  all  meat 
to  be  sold  the  same  day  it  is  killed.  Early  in  the  morning  the  butchers 
go  out  to  the  municipal  slaughtering-houses  and  kill  as  many  animals 
as  they  think  they  can  sell  during  the  day.  These  markets  are  scenes 
of  wonderful  animation  when  the  selling  and  buying  are  proceeding 
briskly  in  the  early  morning,  with  the  sellers  holding  out  for  their 
prices  and  the  purchasers  trying  to  beat  them  down  to  a  lower  figure, 
or,  as  many  would  say,  "Jew  them  down,"  in  reference  to  the  bar- 
gaining instincts  and  commercial  cleverness  of  our  Hebrew  friends. 

Those  who  find  it  inconvenient  to  attend  the  markets  are  supplied 
by  street  hawkers  who  go  around  from  door  to  door  with  baskets 
suspended  from  a  pole  swung  across  their  shoulders.  These  peri- 
patetic merchants  rend  the  air  with  their  cries  and  are  much  the  same 
kind  of  a  disturbing  element  as  the  "ol'  cas'  clo'  "  men  or  scissors 
grinders  of  our  Northern  cities.  Here,  too,  the  milkmen  come  around 
with  their  living  sources  of  supply,  heralding  their  approach  by  the 


390  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

tinkle  of  a  bell  and  drawing  the  amount  ordered  from  the  udders 
of  the  patient  animals.  The  asses,  as  well  as  cows,  are  driven 
around,  for  there  is  a  demand  for  donkeys'  milk,  as  it  is  said  to  be 
preferable  to  cows'  milk,  for  feeding  infants. 

Lecherias,  or  milk  shops,  are  plentiful,  where  the  milk  is  sold  over 
the  counter  by  the  glass.  Frozen  milk  takes  the  place  of  ice  cream 
in  these  establishments,  which  are  kept  neat,  clean  and  enticing. 
There  is  a  large  number  of  places  where  intoxicants  are  sold,  for 
the  liquor  license  is  small,  but  saloons  or  bars  after  the  English  and 
American  style  are  only  found  in  the  business  districts.  There  is 
not  much  open  intoxication  and  few  arrests  for  drunkenness. 

The  city  has  a  fine  water-supply.  It  is  taken  from  the  La  Plata 
River,  far  enough  up  to  avoid  any  chance  of  pollution.  Wells  have 
been  bored  beneath  the  bottom  of  the  river  and  the  water  pumped 
through  tunnels  to  a  central  station,  where  it  is  filtered  and  distrib- 
uted to  all  sections  of  the  city.  The  reservoir  in  the  center  of  the 
city  is  called  the  Aguas  Corrientes.  It  looks  more  like  a  palace  than 
a  reservoir,  with  its  imposing  glazed  brick  and  terra  cotta  facings 
on  all  sides.  The  shell  of  this  building,  not  to  speak  of  the  tanks 
inside,  cost  the  city  one  million  dollars,  but  it  was  all  done  for  show 
and  to  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  metropolis. 

Handsome  structures  are  being  constantly  erected  and  the  city 
spreading  to  a  wide  area.  At  present  it  covers  a  space  four  times  as 
large  as  Manhattan  Island,  three  times  larger  than  Berlin  and  more 
than  twice  that  of  Paris.  Every  year  the  municipality  offers  a  prize 
for  the  handsomest  structure  erected.  This  gives  an  impetus  to  both 
building  and  architectural  beauty,  for  in  addition  to  the  prize,  the 
building  is  exempted  from  taxes  for  a  certain  period,  and,  besides, 
the  owner  is  reimbursed  for  any  sum  he  may  have  expended  in 
making  an  artistic  street-front. 

There  are  many  splendid  residences,  great  heavily  built  structures, 
with  beautiful  patios,  or  miniature  gardens,  in  the  middle,  into  which 
all  the  rooms  open,  so  that  fresh  air  and  privacy  can  be  enjoyed  at 
the  same  time.  It  required  millions  to  erect  them,  and  more  millions 
to  furnish  and  equip  them,  but  this  is  not  a  cause  for  wonder  when 
it  is  considered  that  there  are  more  millionaires  in  Buenos  Aires  than 
in  any  city  of  its  size  in  the  Northern  Hemisphere.  There  are  many 
multimillionaires.  Every  one  who  has  made  money  in  the  Argentine 
Republic  comes  to  Buenos  Aires  to  invest  and  spend  it.  The  vast 
"estancias"  of  from  ten  to  one  hundred  thousand  acres  owned  by 
the  metropolitan  nabobs  pour  out  the  teeming  riches  of  their  wheat- 


LAZAMA    PARK,    BUENOS    AIRES 


A  DELIGHTFUL  WALK,  LAZAMA  PARK 


391 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  SOUTHERN  HEMISPHERE     393 

fields  and  cattle  ranches  and  sheep-folds  from  all  the  territory  within 
a  thousand  miles  to  make  of  Buenos  Aires  a  metropolis  of  wealth 
and  grandeur. 

Yet  there  are  poor  people  in  this  wealth-laden  city.    Go  to  a  ''con- 
ventilla" — it  may  be  next  to  a  millionaire's  palace — and  look  through 
the  doorway.    There  is  a  courtyard  and  around  it  numerous  doors. 
Maybe  the  place  has  two  stories,  if  so,  doors  open  on  to  a  balcony 
above  the  courtyard.     Each  of  these  doors  gives  ingress  to  a  single 
room,  and  in  this  one  room  you  may  find  a  whole  family  consisting 
of  parents,  children  and  perhaps  grandchildren.     Five  or  six  sleep 
in  the  same  bed  and  the  cooking  is  done  over  a  charcoal  brazier  in  the 
courtyard.    Talk  of  the  congestion  in  the  ghettos  of  New  York  and 
London ! — it  is  scarcely  more  intense  than  what  prevails  in  the  *'con- 
ventillas"  of  Buenos  Aires.    Two  or  three  hundred  people  may  have 
to  breathe  or  move  and  exist  in  one  of  these  two-storied  enclosures, 
but  fortunately  for  them  the  cost  of  living  is  not  high  and  old  clothes 
can  be  easily  procured.     At  any  rate  they  have  to  work,  and  work 
hard,  for  what  they  get,  toiling  at  the  docks  and  on  the  streets,  in 
the  mills  and  factories  and  elsewhere,  truly  earning  their  bread  by 
the  hard  work  of  their  hands  and  often  both  brawn  and  brain  are 
overtaxed.    It  is  the  old,  old  story  of  rich  and  poor  the  world  over. 
In  addition  to  the  distinctive  features  already  mentioned,  Buenos 
Aires  is  the  most  cosmopolitan  city  in  the  world,  in  this  respect  out- 
rivaling New  York  and  Chicago.    On  the  streets  almost  any  tongue 
can  be  heard.     Every  European  language  is  represented.     In  the 
business  districts  you  hear  for  the  most  part  Spanish  and  English. 
The  Spanish  of  the  common  people  is  not  very  pure,  it  is  more  like  a 
patois  than  the  original  language.     In  the  poorer  quarters  Italian  is 
constantly  heard.    There  are  more  Italians  in  this  city  than  those  of 
Spanish  birth,  enough  to  make  up  a  town  as  large  as  Palermo,  there 
being  upward  of  310,000.     German  is  quite  common,  the  Teutons 
being  almost  as  numerically  strong  as  the  English.     French  is  also 
making  headway.     Then  there  are  Swedes,  Norwegians,  Portuguese, 
Poles,  Greeks  and  Russians  and  many  Asiatics  and  Orientals.  Amer- 
icans from  the  United  States  are  not  in  great  force.    When  an  Amer- 
ican society  was  being  organized  a  few  years  ago  there  was  much 
difficulty  in  locating  three  hundred  members  who  acknowledged  alle- 
giance to  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

We  took  many  walks  through  this  great  bustling  Southern  city, 
and  were  much  impressed  with  the  spirit  of  commercialism  and  prog- 
ress which  animated  it.    The  word  "efifete"  has  been  so  often  applied 


394  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

to  these  Latin  countries  that  one  is  surprised  to  come  upon  a  com- 
munity which  displays  not  only  buusiness  activity  but  that  strenu- 
osity  of  life  which  characterizes  the  hustling,  go-ahead  cities  of 
the  United  States.  There  is  nothing  effete  or  moribund  about  Buenos 
Aires.  It  is  thoroughly  alive  and  eager  to  command  attention  as  a 
world  metropolis.  Of  course  it  snatches  a  few  hours  off  in  the  way 
of  relaxation,  it  has  its  feast  days  and  holidays,  its  races,  its  theaters 
and  pleasure-grounds,  and  the  people  are  fond  of  promenading 
through  the  streets,  but  withal  the  work  is  not  neglected,  the  wheels 
of  business  are  kept  revolving,  effort  is  never  relaxed,  activity  never 
takes  a  back  seat,  progress  is  always  being  made  and  the  future  never 
lost  sight  of,  no  matter  what  the  distractions  of  the  present.  Buenos 
Aires  is  truly  a  great  city,  and  it  is  destined  to  be  a  greater  one  as 
the  years  roll  on. 

It  is  well  governed  and  well  protected,  as  we  had  opportunity  of 
seeing.  One  evening,  on  returning  to  our  hotel,  we  saw  a  detachment 
of  police  detailed  to  their  different  beats  for  the  night.  They  were 
uniformed  in  coarse  blue  cloth  and  were  all  armed  with  sabers  and 
revolvers.  These  men  are  authorized  to  arrest  every  one  violating 
the  peace  or  public  decency,  and  to  keep  the  streets  clean  and  orderly. 
In  all  there  are  about  5,000  of  them  to  protect  the  city,  or  about  one 
for  every  230  of  the  population.  One  is  usually  placed  at  the  inter- 
section of  every  two  streets.  The  number  and  efficiency  afford  se- 
curity and,  on  the  whole,  we  think  life  and  property  are  safer  in  the 
midnight  streets  of  Buenos  Aires  than  in  many  cities  of  the  United 
States. 


PAI.ERMO    PARK,    lU^EXOS   AIRES 


EI>  TIGRE   RIVER,   BUENOS  AIRES 


CHAPTER  XVI 

MONTEVIDEO  AND  ALONG  THE  COAST 
Scenes  on  the  Way  to  Rio  de  Janeiro 

We  left  Buenos  Aires  in  the  evening  by  one  of  the  small  coasting 
steamers  plying  between  that  port  and  Montevideo.  The  soft  light 
was  falling  across  the  bay  on  the  muddy,  reddish-brown  water,  which 
at  this  place  stretches  thirty  miles  across  from  the  Argentine  to  the 
Uruguayan  shore.  The  Rio  de  la  Plata,  or  Plate  River,  so-called,  is 
not  a  river,  but  a  large  estuary  widening  out  to  the  sea  and  formed 
by  the  union  of  the  great  Uruguay  River  and  the  still  greater  Parana, 
both  of  which  drain  fully  one-fourth  of  the  entire  continent.  The 
estuary  is  two  hundred  miles  long,  and  at  the  open  sea  between  Mon- 
tevideo and  Cape  San  Antonio  on  the  southern  side,  more  than  one 
hundrd  miles  wide. 

We  saw  nothing  impressive  in  our  leave-taking  of  the  capital  city, 
the  scenery  was  dull  in  the  extreme  ,the  dominant  feature  being  a 
great  mass  of  shipping,  its  funnels  and  spars  and  cordage  cutting  the 
somber  background  of  the  darkening  sky,  as  we  steamed  away 
through  the  gathering  shades  on  another  ''leg"  of  our  journey,  bring- 
ing us  nearer  the  end.  None  of  us  had  any  desire  to  remain  on  deck, 
so  we  repaired  below  to  our  cabins  to  refresh  ourselves  in  sleep  for 
the  coming  day.  When  we  awoke  next  morning  we  found  that  our 
boat  had  already  cast  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  the  capital  of  the 
smallest  South  American  republic — Uruguay. 

Uruguay  has  had  a  somewhat  checkered  history.  The  Spaniards 
had  no  easy  conquest  in  this  part  of  the  country,  for  the  aboriginal 
Indians  were  plucky  and  determined  fighters,  and  kept  the  invaders 
at  bay  for  a  long  time.  There  are  no  aboriginal  Indians  now.  More- 
over, the  Jesuits  from  Paraguay,  who  from  1600  had  carried  on  mis- 
sions among  the  tribes  farther  north,  helped  to  close  the  country  to 
adventurers  and  fortune-seekers.     But  in  time  it  came  under  the 

397 


398  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

viceroyalty  of  Buenos  Aires,  and  probably  would  have  continued  a 
part  of  Argentine  had  it  not  been  for  its  close  proximity  to  Brazil. 
The  Portuguese  of  that  region  held  it  at  intervals,  sometimes  taking 
it  by  conquest  and  sometimes  getting  it  by  cession  from  the  Spanish 
crown.  At  length  the  people  came  to  consider  themselves  as  distinct 
from  those  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Rio  de  la  Plata  and  Uruguay 
Rivers.  The  name,  Banda  Oriental  (East  Side)  was  applied  to  them 
to  differentiate  them  from  the  Argentinians  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river.  These  colonists,  or  Orientales  ,as  they  were  styled,  soon  began 
to  assert  their  independence  of  Spanish  rule.  In  1810  they  made  an 
effort  to  throw  off  the  Spanish  yoke.  The  Portuguese  of  Brazil 
allied  themselves  with  Spain  in  defense  of  the  monarchy  and  invaded 
the  little  country,  but  the  brave  and  partiotic  leader,  Artigas,  gath- 
ered his  forces  around  him  and  after  a  long  and  desperate  struggle 
succeeded  in  setting  Uruguay  free.  But  Argentina  again  stepped 
in  to  force  it  into  the  federation  and  kept  it  in  practical  subjection  till 
1821.     Then  Brazil  proved  the  stronger  and  ruled  it  until  1825. 

At  length  the  Banda  Oriental  revolted  against  outsiders  with  a 
vengeance,  and  after  three  years  of  desperate  struggling  gained 
complete  independence,  and  both  Brazil  and  Argentina  were  com- 
pelled to  recognize  Uruguay  as  a  sovereign  state.  But  it  has  been  a 
land  of  internecine  strife  and  revolutions  since.  The  invasions  and 
fighting  and  suffering  made  the  early  settlers  warlike,  and  the  fre- 
quent change  of  rulers  accustomed  them  to  unstable  administrations  ; 
a  restiveness  and  love  of  power  was  engendered,  with  the  conse- 
quence that  the  feeling  of  unrest  came  down  through  the  succeeding 
years,  and  there  have  been  few  periods  of  permanent  peace  and 
tranquillity.  Yet  the  fighting  and  the  frequent  disturbances  have 
formed  a  type  of  people  who  love  their  country  and  are  jealous  of 
every  prerogative  and  right  they  claim  as  their  own.  And  it  is  a 
country  worth  loving,  an  ideal  land,  a  very  garden  spot,  if  not  exactly 
flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  at  least  well  favored  by  nature  in 
richness  of  production  and  beauty  of  landscape.  There  is  scarcely  an 
acre  that  cannot  be  cultivated  if  necessity  arose.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  sand  stretches  on  the  coast  and  a  barren  hill  rising  up 
here  and  there  at  long  intervals,  the  country  is  well  adapted  for  till- 
age, for  grazing  and  for  timber  growth.  The  climate  is  well  tempered 
by  the  Atlantic,  the  summers  being  cool  and  pleasant  and  the  winters 
mild.  There  are  large  tracts  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  wheat  and 
maize  and  many  rich  vineyards  scattered  over  the  whole  area.  The 
grass  is  sweet  and  luscious,  the  very  best  for  cattle  in  all  South 


MONTEVIDEO  AND  THE  EASTERN  COAST        401 

America,  hence  large  herds  of  sheep  and  kine  and  many  horses  are 
everywhere  to  be  seen.  The  comitry  towards  the  sea-coast  is  gently 
undulating,  and  inland  it  rises  in  gradually  swelling  downs  with 
ranges  of  low  hills  in  some  places.  The  most  elevated  point  in  the 
region  is  less  than  2,000  feet.  The  area  is  72,210  square  miles,  and 
the  present  population  (1914)  about  1,200,000. 

Montevideo,  the  capital,  has  300,000  inhabitants.  Its  port,  the 
chief  inlet  and  outlet  of  the  republic's  commerce,  has  made  it  a  great 
and  powerful  city.  Here  the  estuary  is  much  deeper  than  at  Buenos 
Aires,  so  that  large  ships  can  come  quite  close  to  the  shore.  Break- 
waters have  been  run  out  and  a  good  harbor  constructed  capable  of 
accommodating  vessels  of  deep  draught.  Unlike  the  Argentine  side 
of  the  estuary,  which  is  low  and  flat,  the  northern  side  on  which 
Montevideo  stands  rises  well  up  from  the  shore,  giving  a  fine  view 
to  the  city,  as  well  as  a  splendid  view  of  it  from  the  water  approach, 
the  tall  buildings  and  church  towers  standing  out  in  bold  relief 
against  the  sky-line.  However,  there  are  not  many  tall  buildings, 
not  even  as  many  in  comparison  to  population  as  in  Buenos  Aires, 
and  as  in  the  case  of  the  latter,  the  architecture  for  the  most  part 
is  modern,  seemingly  fashioned  after  the  French  style.  The  main 
portion  of  the  city,  the  business  section,  lies  upon  a  tongue  or  narrow 
strip  of  land  jutting  out  into  the  river,  or  rather  estuary.  This  tongue 
is  of  limestone  formation,  having  very  little  of  a  top-soil  and  rising 
in  the  center  to  an  apex  somewhat  after  the  manner  of  a  house  ridge. 
The  streets  run  north  and  south  like  a  series  of  terraces,  one  rising 
above  the  other,  thus  giving  a  natural  drainage  which  makes  the 
foundations  very  dry  and  consequently  the  place  very  healthy.  In- 
deed, Montevideo  is  said  to  be  the  healthiest  city  in  the  world,  and 
it  is  by  far  the  cleanest  on  the  continent  of  South  America.  In  fact 
there  is  no  city  more  beautifully  situated,  and  viewed  from  any  direc- 
tion the  prospect  is  a  pleasing  one.  There  is  only  one  drawback, 
and  that  is  the  searching  winds  known  as  the  pamperos  which,  dur- 
ing the  winter,  sweep  the  whole  southern  half  of  South  America 
from  the  Andes  to  the  Atlantic,  filling  space,  crack  and  crevice,  nook 
and  fissure  with  fine  dust.  This  dust  clogs  the  nostrils  and  cakes 
the  lips,  while  the  wind  parches  and  cracks  the  skin  at  times.  'Tis  a 
consolation  that  these  pamperos  are  confined  to  one  season  of  the 
year.  When  they  pass,  the  city,  in  regard  to  climate,  to  air,  to  bright 
sunshine,  to  scenery  and  general  mode  of  living,  becomes  a  kind  of 
earthly  paradise,  where  one  is  fain  to  linger  and  forget  the  cares 
and  worries  of  the  outside  world.    There  are  no  evidences  of  squalor 


402  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

or  poverty  in  this  city,  the  people  seem  brisk  and  thriving,  there 
seems  to  be  work  for  all  and  money  for  all,  and  there  is  a  general 
look  of  contentment  on  the  faces  of  the  people  you  meet  on  the 
streets,  in  the  public  stores  and  on  the  cars.  That  there  are  degrees 
of  wealth  goes  without  saying,  but  the  well-to-do  classes  do  not  flaunt 
their  riches  with  the  ostentation  or  outward  show  that  is  character- 
istic of  the  wealthy  Porteiios.  It  looks  as  if  there  was  a  sort  of  com- 
mon social  intercourse  in  Montevideo  which  is  as  pleasing  as  it  is 
gratifying  to  those  who  look  upon  mankind  as  one  family  on  the 
same  plane  irrespective  of  the  freaks  of  fortune  or  the  caprices  of 
fate.  All  take  a  common  pride  in  their  city  and  all  love  to  expatiate 
on  its  beauties,  its  importance,  its  commanding  position  as  a  com- 
mercial emporium.  Almost  any  one  you  meet  will  be  willing  to  point 
out  the  sights  and  enlighten  you  on  any  question  you  may  care  to  ask 
about  the  city  or  its  people.  If  you  want  to  go  to  any  objective  point 
or  place  of  interest  you  need  not  be  at  a  loss  to  find  the  way.  Hail 
the  first  one  you  meet,  and  the  chances  are  that  he  will  not  alone 
give  you  the  directions,  but  tell  you  all  about  the  place  and  likely  he 
will  insist  on  accompanying  you.  For  mstance,  if  you  wish  to  go  to 
the  ''Calle  Viente  y  Cinco  de  Mayo"  (the  Twenty-fifth  of  May 
Street),  you  will  be  told  not  alone  how  to  find  it,  but  will  get  a  his- 
tory of  Uruguayan  struggles  and  proudly  be  informed  that  the  street 
is  so  named  to  commemorate  the  day  of  the  national  independence 
of  the  country. 

The  nomenclature  of  many  of  the  places  is  strange  and  curious, 
and  m  some  cases  far  from  applicable.  Imagination  had  much  to 
do  with  naming  some  of  them.  For  example,  Rio  de  la  Plata  means 
the  "silver  river,"  but  so  far  from  being  silvery  it  is  as  muddy  look- 
ing as  a  duck-pond  in  the  drought  of  summer.  Again,  Argentine 
means  "land  of  silver,"  but  was  not  thus  called  on  account  of  silver 
mines  being  found  there,  simply  in  anticipation  of  them,  so  as  to 
attract  settlers.  Montevideo  means  'T  see  the  mountain,"  and  in 
this  instance  there  was  some  application,  though  the  mountain  that 
was  seen  and  can  still  be  seen  is  not  much  of  an  eminence.  It  is 
merely  the  hill  now  called  the  Cerro,  an  isolated  conical  pile  on  the 
southwestern  side  of  the  bay.  There  is  a  picturesque  old  fortress 
on  its  crest,  presumably  for  the  purpose  of  guarding  the  city,  but  as 
far  as  such  guardianship  is  concerned  the  place  is  merely  a  joke  from 
a  practical  standpoint.  The  hill  is  used  as  a  lighthouse-station,  and 
serves  the  purpose  very  w^ell.  At  night  the  revolving  light  on  the 
tower  can  be  seen  for  twenty-five  miles  out  at  sea.     When  a  land 


MONTEVIDEO  AND  THE  EASTERN  COAST        403 

breeze  is  blowing  the  position  of  the  hill  can  be  located  without  the 
light,  for  an  abattoir,  or  slaughter-house,  is  located  upon  it,  from 
which  comes  a  very  strong  odor.  We  made  a  trip  to  the  Cerro  and 
obtained  a  very  fine  view  of  the  harbor  and  bay  with  the  waters 
swirling  around  in  their  horseshoe  enclosure,  which  is  some  six  miles 
in  circumference. 

There  are  many  handsome  plazas  in  the  city,  artistically  laid  out, 
and  planted  with  choice  arborage  and  foliage  which  captivate  the  eye. 
In  the  center  of  the  city  are  two  large  public  squares.  One  is  the 
Plaza  Constitucion  which  is  used  as  a  military  parade-ground  and  on 
which  front  the  Military  Barracks  and  the  Government  Building. 
The  other  is  the  Plaza  Washington,  named  in  honor  of  our  own 
immortal  Washington,  though  there  are  few  Americans  from  the 
United  States  in  the  city. 

The  hotels,  clubs,  theaters  and  shops  are  close  together,  so  that 
one  hasn't  to  go  far  afield  to  see  the  life  of  the  place.  The  hotels 
are  on  the  European  plan,  and  are  clean  and  comfortable.  The  fare 
generally  consists  of  a  desayuno,  or  morning  cup  of  coflfee,  an  elab- 
orate breakfast  at  noon  and  a  good  substantial  dinner  with  wines  at 
six  o'clock.  The  rate  is  from  $3  to  $6  per  day.  Here  I  may  state 
that  the  currency  is  not  the  same  as  in  the  other  republics ;  money 
is  on  a  gold  basis,  and  when  an  exchange  is  made  to  native  coin,  one 
is  surprised  to  find  the  number  of  his  dollars  decreased  instead  of 
increased.  In  Argentina  you  can  get  about  $3  for  $1,  but  in  Monte- 
video an  American  dollar  is  worth  only  96  cents.  Therefore,  every- 
thing is  dear  and  money  does  not  go  so  far.  In  Argentina  you  are 
charged  $8  a  day  at  the  hotels,  but  that  rate  is  one  gold  dollar 
cheaper  than  the  $3  rate  in  Montevideo.  There  are  some  silver  dol- 
lars, and  all  the  small  change  is  in  silver  and  nickel.  The  "tipping" 
system  is  in  vogue  in  the  hotels,  but,  unlike  in  England  and  the 
United  States,  the  attendants  do  not  expect  you  to  '"tip"  them  more 
than  you  pay  the  house.  Ten  cents  will  satisfy  any  one  of  them, 
and  for  fifty  he  is  overcome  with  gratitude.  During  my  stay  I  put 
up  at  the  Grand  Hotel  Lanata  facing  the  Plaza  Constitucion.  This 
is  a  good  hostelry,  which  is  deservedly  popular ;  it  is  patronized  by 
most  tourists  and  sight-seers.  The  Hotel  Oriental  is  said  to  be  the 
best  south  of  the  Line.  It  is  a  magnificent  building,  constructed  of 
pure  Italian  marble  and  is  luxuriously  appointed  and  furnished  in 
keeping  with  modern  ideas  and  the  march  of  progress. 

There  are  half-a-dozen  theaters  and  an  Italian  opera-house.  The 
Solis    Theater   is   a    roomy,   well-appointed   building   covering   two 


404  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

acres  with  seats  for  over  3,000.  Many  of  the  greatest  artists  of  the 
age  have  appeared  in  it.  It  has  echoed  the  nightingale  notes  of  Patti 
and  the  silver  strains  of  Bernhardt. 

Of  course  there  are  many  churches.  The  Cathedral  is  a  solid 
structure  with  two  towering  cupolas  at  either  side  in  front,  sur- 
mounted by  gilded  crosses,  and  with  a  massive  dome  in  the  rear. 
Another  noteworthy  Roman  church  is  that  of  the  Immaculate  Con- 
ception, erected  from  the  contributions  of  the  milkmen  and  market 
gardeners.  It  is  attended  better  than  the  Cathedral,  and,  as  in  most 
of  these  Spanish  churches,  women  make  up  by  far  the  greater  part 
of  the  congregations.  The  State  religion,  as  in  the  other  republics, 
is  Roman  Catholic,  but  Protestantism  is  freely  tolerated  and  Prot- 
estants much  better  treated  than  in  any  of  the  other  large  cities  of  the 
continent.  There  are  two  Protestant  churches  and  several  Protestant 
schools.  The  city  is  well  supplied  with  hospitals,  homes  and  philan- 
thropic and  charitable  institutions.  The  Hospital  de  Caridad  (Char- 
ity Hospital)  is  in  charge  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity  and  does  good 
work  in  behalf  of  the  sick  and  suffering.  It  is  three  stories  high, 
three  hundred  feet  long  and  has  accomodation  and  beds  for  between 
three  hundred  and  four  hundred  patients.  It  is  maintained  by  means 
of  a  public  lottery,  that  is  to  say,  prizes  are  donated  for  which 
tickets  are  sold,  and  nearly  all  buy  on  chance  of  winning  something. 
In  this  way  large  sums  are  annually  raised.  Another  good  institu- 
tion of  the  same  kind,  though  not  so  large,  is  the  British  Hospital, 
where  there  is  an  excellent  staff  of  physicians  and  surgeons  and 
well-qualified  nurses. 

There  is  a  large  foundling  asylum  which  it  is  said  receives  more 
than  three  hundred  babies  yearly.  It  is  claimed  that  Montevideo 
is  an  immoral  city,  and  the  excuse  put  forward  is  that  the  fees  of  the 
clergy  for  the  marriage  service  are  so  high  that  the  common  people 
cannot  afford  to  marry.  This,  however,  seems  a  rather  poor  excuse 
for  transgression  of  the  moral  law. 

Circling  round  the  bay  and  fronting  the  waters  are  many  beau- 
tiful villas  or  ''quintas,"  the  residences  of  wealthy  citizens.  The 
buildings  show  a  picturesque  style  of  architecture  which  is  enhanced 
by  the  grouping  and  the  floral  setting  in  which  they  are  embowered. 
They  are  splendidly  furnished  without  any  vulgar  display,  but  with 
a  taste  and  refinement  that  would  do  credit  to  the  finest  old  mansions 
of  continental  Europe.  In  their  general  appearance  these  villas  would 
be  attractive  to  any  city. 

A  large  number  of  the  street  houses  are  of  three-story  dimension, 


MONTEVIDEO  AND  THE  EASTERN  COAST       405 

built  of  stone,  quarried  nearby.      Some  are  covered  with  stucco, 
painted  in  bright  colors. 

As  in  the  other  large  hives  of  population  ,trade  is  brisk,  and  con- 
sequently there  are  many  fine  emporiums  and  shops,  well-filled,  dis- 
playing the  goods  and  wares  of  European  and  other  countries,  be- 
sides the  native  products  and  handiwork.  One  can  find  almost  as 
varied  and  as  good  a  selection  from  which  to  choose  in  the  shops 
of  Montevideo  as  in  the  big  stores  of  our  own  country.  Many  of 
the  merchants  reside  in  the  upper  floors  of  their  business  houses, 
hence  there  are  but  few  streets  exclusively  devoted  to  private  resi- 
dences. 

The  men  and  women  of  Montevideo  dress  well,  they  can  afford  to 
do  so,  but  their  taste  is  good  and  does  not  incline  to  extravagance  or 
lavish  display.  Some  travelers  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  women 
and  girls  of  this  city  are  the  most  beautiful  in  the  world,  but  it  is 
not  for  me  to  give  an  opinion  on  this  statement.  Certainly  they 
appear  to  good  advantage  on  the  streets,  yet  it  seemed  to  me  that 
many  of  the  elderly  ladies  showed  rather  full  outlines,  in  plain  lan- 
guage they  looked  fat  and  heavy.  But  the  younger  ones !  Well,  it 
would  be  hard  to  do  justice  to  their  physical  charms,  so  I  will  not 
attempt  the  task,  but  leave  them  "alone  in  their  glory,"  the  glory  of 
a  Southern  loveliness  not  encountered  in  Northern  climes.  Many 
are  of  that  dreamy,  spirituelle  type  of  beauty  such  as  the  old  masters 
loved  to  give  to  their  Madonnas,  and  are  as  modest  as  they  are 
captivating.  Moreover,  the  women  of  this  capital  city  of  Uruguay 
are  refined,  with  that  polish  of  manner  which  education  alone  can 
confer.  This  reminds  me,  that  Montevideo  is  well  equipped  with 
schools.  The  teachers  are  well  fitted  for  their  work,  and  conse- 
quently are  able  to  train  their  pupils  in  a  way  which  reflects  credit 
upon  themselves. 

There  is  a  large  University  with  about  eighty  professors  and  over 
six  hundred  students.  Besides  the  ordinary  college  subjects  there 
are  courses  in  law,  medicine  and  engineering.  There  are  also  a  mili- 
tary college  and  an  industrial  school. 

The  suburbs  of  the  city  are  delightful.  The  Botanical  Garden  is 
a  lovely  spot,  with  a  wonderful  variety  of  trees  and  flowers,  repre- 
sentative of  both  tropical  and  temperate  climates.  There  you  will 
see  the  Australian  blue  gums  thriving  better  than  in  their  own  land, 
and  great  red  roses  which  would  put  to  shame  the  boasted  beauties 
of  English  gardens.  Not  far  from  this  is  a  menagerie  or  collection 
of  wild  animals  in  grounds  belonging  to  a  private  gentleman  who 


406  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

takes  great  interest  in  the  specimens,  which  include  lions,  tigers, 
pumas,  jaguars,  ant-eaters  and  several  other  varieties  representing 
the  fauna  of  many  lands. 

Needless  to  say,  Montevideo  is  a  city  of  electric-cars  and  electric- 
lights.  The  cars  do  a  rushing  business,  for  there  are  not  many  pri- 
vate vehicles,  on  account  of  the  many  hills  and  the  steepness  of  the 
streets  running  up  to  the  apex  or  ridge  of  the  city.  The  trucking  or 
heavy  hauling  is  done  in  carts,  to  which  two  or  three  mules  are  har- 
nessed abreast,  one  inside  the  shafts  and  one  at  either  side.  The 
driver  rides  on  one  of  the  outside  mules  and  as  a  rule  is  not  very 
gentle  in  his  treatment  of  the  poor,  toiling  beasts.  As  we  returned 
from  the  Cerro  we  passed  many  of  these  queer,  clumsy  wagons, 
which  to  us  were  an  unique  sight.  They  have  huge  wheels  from  six 
to  eight  feet  high,  with  enormous  hubs  as  large  as  bread-baskets,  and 
shafts  as  long  as  clothes-poles.  Most  of  them  have  only  two  wheels, 
the  reason  of  which,  as  we  learned,  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that 
these  carryalls  are  taxed  according  to  the  numbers  of  wheels.  A 
two-wheeled  wagon  pays  only  half  as  much  as  one  with  four  wheels. 

Having  seen  as  much  of  this  interesting  city  as  we  could  for  the 
time  at  our  disposal,  we  resumed  our  journey  northward  by  the 
steamer  Nile,  the  same  vessel  which  had  brought  us  from  New 
York  to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  We  had  a  delightful  sail  along  the 
shores  of  Southern  Brazil.  The  climate  is  salubrious  and  the  sea 
was  at  its  best,  as  we  churned  through  its  blue  depths,  the  waves  lap- 
ping our  prow  and  hull  in  a  dreamy  sort  of  way,  their  murmuring 
music  having  a  tendency  to  lull  the  listener  into  introspection,  con- 
templation and  meditation.  But  the  charm  of  sea  and  sky  and  land 
soon  draws  one  away  from  himself  and  his  own  thoughts  to  the 
picture  which  nature  unfolds  around  him. 

In  places  the  shore  was  lined  with  a  luxuriant  glittering  vegeta- 
tion, the  air  was  soft  and  mellow,  the  water  became  a  vivid  blue, 
the  sun  shone  from  a  translucent  sky,  and  the  long-winged  frigate 
birds  followed  in  our  track,  like  spirits  of  the  sea  guarding  us  on  our 
course.  The  large  steamers  go  direct  from  Buenos  Aires  and  Monte- 
video to  Santos  and  Rio,  and  are  out  of  sight  of  land  nearly  all  the 
time,  but  the  local  or  coasting  steamers  keep  near  the  shore,  making 
ports  of  call  and  occupying  about  six  days  on  the  thousand-mile  trip. 
Rio  Grande,  the  most  southern  port  of  Brazil,  has  possibilities  for 
making  a  fine  harbor.  It  is  a  good-sized  town  and  is  the  seat  of  a 
seminary  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  Other  stopping-places 
are  Sao  Francisco,  Itajahy,  Paranagua  and  Curitiba. 


HARBOR    FRONT,    SANTOS,    BRAZIL 


SANTOS,   BRAZ 


407 


MONTEVIDEO  AND  THE  EASTERN  COAST        409 

We  went  ashore  at  Santos,  the  cofifee  port  par  excellence  of  Brazil. 
There  were  ships  of  many  nations  lying  in  the  harbor,  which  has 
been  deepened  to  accommodate  large  vessels.  The  Brazilians,  aided 
by  British  money  and  engineering  skill,  have  made  this  harbor  the 
very  best  on  the  coast.  It  is  the  only  one  where  steamers  can  lie 
alongside  the  pier  and  where  passengers  and  stevedores  can  get  from 
dock  to  dock,  and  vice  versa,  without  launches  and  tenders.  Form- 
erly this  place  was  a  hotbed  of  yellow  fever,  and  seamen  dreaded  to 
enter  it.  Captains,  while  in  port,  were  afraid  to  permit  their  crews 
to  go  ashore.  But  a  great  change  has  been  effected  in  recent  years. 
The  deepening  of  the  harbor,  drainage  operations,  other  improve- 
ments and  a  strict  observance  of  sanitary  laws  have  made  the  town 
comparatively  healthy,  and  ^'Yellow  Jack"  rarely  breaks  out  nowa- 
days. An  amphitheatre  of  mountains  surrounds  the  broad,  flat  valley 
behind  Santos,  through  which  the  river  flows  to  form  the  port 
These  mountains,  or  rather  big  hills,  are  generally  covered  with  mist. 
Colored  buildings  and  gaily  painted  houses  line  the  shore,  most  of 
them  shaded  by  palm-trees  with  their  long  fan-like  leaves  drooping 
down  toward  the  white  sands  of  the  beach.  In  the  main  part  of  the 
town  the  streets  are  mostly  of  the  three-story  type,  and  painted  in  all 
the  colors  of  the  rainbow.  Along  the  edge  of  the  harbor  are  huge 
warehouses  for  the  storage  of  cofifee.  Ships  are  being  constantly 
loaded  with  the  aromatic  beans.  All  day  long,  and  in  season  all  night 
as  well,  there  is  a  string  of  husky  porters  carrying  sacks  from  the 
warehouses  and  railroad  freight-yards  to  the  ships  along  the  wharf. 
The  busy  season  is  from  August  to  January,  when  from  2,500  to 
3,000  tons  of  cofifee  are  shipped  daily  to  various  countries,  especially 
to  the  United  States.  At  present  the  value  of  the  cofifee  exported 
from  Santos  amounts  to  almost  $100,000,000  a  year.  There  is  evi- 
dence of  the  cofifee  industry  at  every  turn ;  you  smell  cofifee  in  the 
air ;  you  see  cofifee  carriers  in  every  street.  You  come  to  large  rooms 
besides  the  warehouses  where  half-clad  negroes  are  shoveling  the 
beans  into  bags ;  you  find  other  negroes  sewing  and  closing  the  bags ; 
you  watch  men  and  women  sorting  the  beans  into  grades,  and  in  the 
cafes  you  meet  all  kinds  of  people  drinking  the  beverage. 

The  great  trade  in  cofifee  gives  an  enormous  trafific  to  the  railway 
between  Santos  and  Sao  Paulo,  the  metropolis  of  the  cofifee-produc- 
ing  interior.  This  is  a  very  remarkable  piece  of  railway.  We  made 
a  little  journey  on  it  to  Serra  da  Alto,  lying  in  the  highlands  a  few 
miles  back  of  Santos.  It  was  built  in  1867,  but  its  most  difficult  por- 
tion was  laid  out  anew  some  fifteen  years  ago  along  a  better  line. 


410  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

This  part  testifies  to  the  skill  of  the  British  engineers  who  con- 
structed it.  As  already  stated,  an  amphitheater  of  high  hills  sur- 
rounds the  valley  back  of  Santos ;  these  hills  are  the  beginning  of  a 
plateau  about  2,500  feet  above  the  valley;  on  the  edge  the  plateau  ap- 
pears serrated,  like  a  rangq  of  mountains  and  is  known  as  Serra  da 
Mar  (Sea  Range).  In  order  to  reach  the  plateau  from  the  valley 
the  railroad  had  to  climb  3,500  feet  in  six  miles  which  means  a  gra- 
dient of  about  eight  per  cent  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  the  slope. 
This  involved  a  great  feat  of  engineering.  The  road  is  a  combina- 
tion of  a  funicular  and  a  cable.  It  is  constructed  in  a  series  of  five 
inclines  on  which  the  trains  are  operated  by  steel-cable  haulage,  each 
incline  having  its  own  power-house  and  haulage  plant.  When  we 
arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  plateau  after  passing  over  the  flat-lands 
which  lead  from  Santos,  our  train  was  attached  to  a  steel  cable  and 
hauled  for  a  considerable  distance  up  the  mountain  to  a  stationary 
steam-engine.  After  reaching  this  first  engine-house  another  cable- 
was  attached,  which  hauled  us  to  the  second,  and  so  on  until  we 
reached  the  top.  To  insure  safety  a  locomotive  brake  is  attached  to 
the  last  car  of  each  ascending  and  descending  train;  besides,  the 
ascent  and  descent  are  made  simultaneously  each  way.  There  are 
other  precautionary  devices  too  intricate  to  describe.  It  was  a  novel 
tour  to  us  and  relieved  the  monotony  of  our  sea-voyage.  On  the 
short  trip  from  Santos  to  Serra  da  Alto  we  passed  through  groves 
of  luscious  bananas  and  forests  of  dreamy  palms,  mounted  steep 
acclivities  and  threaded  dark  ravines  under  lofty  overarching  trop- 
ical vegetation  and  trees,  between  the  boughs  of  which  the  deep  azure 
of  the  sky  was  dimly  visible.  Arriving  at  the  little  elevated  station 
we  sipped  some  cofifee,  black  as  ink  and  strong  as  brandy,  the  while 
enjoying  the  view  and  watching  the  natives  lounging  about  the  doors 
of  their  small  but  neat  homes,  until  it  was  time  to  return  to  Santos 
and  our  steamer. 

It  is  said  that  the  Sao  Paulo  and  Santos  line  of  railroad  ranks  next 
to  that  of  Panama  as  the  best  paying  one  in  South  America.  The 
dividends  assignable  to  shareholders  are  restricted,  and  the  large  sur- 
plus is  spent  by  the  directors  in  making  the  road  not  only  one  of 
great  efficiency  but  rendering  it  elegant  and  sumptuous  in  every  fea- 
ture. Sao  Paulo  is  now  considered  the  most  up-to-date  city  in  Brazil, 
although  it  is  one  of  the  oldest,  having  been  founded  in  1553  by  a 
Jesuit  missionary.  It  has  grown  rapidly  and  at  present  has  a  popu- 
lation of  almost  half  a  million.  It  is  the  heart,  the  radial  location 
of  the  great  coffee  region  around  it,  and  the  volume  of  trade  which 
passes  through  it  is  enormous. 


UNLOADING  COFFEE,  SANTOS 


THE  CATHEDRAL,  SANTOS 


411 


MONTEVIDEO  AND  THE  EASTERN  COAST        413 

It  is  only  a  day's  steaming  from  Santos  to  Rio,  a  distance  of  about 
two  hundred  and  fifteen  miles.  It  was  with  keen  anticipation  we  en- 
tered the  channel,  leading  into  the  bay  of  the  famous  Southern  city,  a 
bay  which  many  authorities  claim  to  be  the  most  beautiful  in  the 
world,  outrivaling  that  of  Naples  and  surpassing  in  scenic  loveliness 
our  own  world- famed  Golden  Gate  of  San  Francisco. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

IN  RIO  DE  JANEIRO 

The  Most  Picturesque  City  in  South  America 

Next  to  Buenos  Aires,  Rio  de  Janeiro  is  the  largest  city  in  South 
America,  its  present  population  being  one  million  in  round  numbers. 
It  is  also  the  most  picturesque  city.  Here  nature  has  lavished  her 
gifts  with  no  unstinted  hand,  in  fact  has  scattered  her  rarest  trea- 
sures with  such  a  prodigality  that  probably  nowhere  else  in  the  world 
can  the  traveler  come  across  such  a  display  of  beauty  in  every  con- 
ceivable shape  and  form,  earth  and  sky  and  sea  combining  to  make 
the  place  a  veritble  fairyland  of  wonders  which  captivates  and  en- 
trances at  every  turn. 

The  harbor,  if  not  the  loveliest  in  the  aggregate,  has  distinctive 
features  which  differentiate  it  from  all  others  and  give  it  a  charm 
that  appeals  to  all.  Even  the  most  blase  globe-trotter,  surfeited  with 
the  sights  and  scenes  of  many  lands,  to  whom  little  is  novel  beneath 
the  sun,  comes  under  the  spell  of  its  beauties  and  feels  his  flagging 
interests  aroused  by  its  wonderful  charm.  Everywhere  the  eye  takes 
in  a  view  which  is  worthy  subject  for  a  painter's  brush,  but  no  artist 
is  capable  of  doing  justice  to  the  scenes  of  beauty  which  spread 
before  the  sight.  The  peculiar  blue  of  the  sky,  the  sheen  of  the 
waters,  the  green  of  the  palms  and  other  arborage,  the  hues  of  the 
multicolored  flowers,  the  varied  tints  of  the  houses  defy  the  pen  of 
description;  nor  can  artistic  genius  copy  their  combined  effect  to 
show  even  a  faint  representation  of  its  witching  beauty  which  has  a 
glamor  and  glory  that  enthral  the  senses  and  enwrap  the  soul  in  an 
ecstasy  of  wondering  delight.  The  picture  is  one  which  indelibly 
limns  itself  on  the  retina  of  memory,  and  only  memory  can  call  it 
forth  in  all  its  charm  and  attractiveness.     No  sensitized  plate  of  the 

414 


BIRD'S-EYE   VIEW   OF   RIO    DE  JANEIRO 


RIO    FROM    GLORIA   HILL 


415 


K 


!-Vl         .JIj 


^M^: 


JJEllLV   MAR,    SHOWING    SUGAR   J.OAF,    RIO 


STREET    SCENE,    RIO 


41T 


IN  UNRIVALED  RIO  419 

photographers  art  can  reproduce  it  in  its  wealth  of  details  and  mag- 
nificent coloring.  Therefore  Rio  and  its  harbor  to  the  traveler  can 
remain  but  a  memory,  yet  a  very  vivid  one  since  it  fixes  itself  in  such 
a  way  that  the  passing  of  the  years  cannot  obliterate  the  impression. 

Rio  harbor  was  first  sighted  by  the  Portuguese  navigator,  De  Solis, 
in  1515  and  by  Magellan  the  following  year.  It  was  called  the 
Nictheroy,  or  Hidden  Water,  by  the  Tamoyo  natives  who  dwelt 
there.  There  is  a  town  called  Nictheroy  lying  to  the  north  of  Rio, 
inside  the  harbor  entrance.  It  was  on  the  first  of  January,  1532,  that 
De  Solis,  with  a  band  of  Portuguese  adventurers,  sailed  into  the 
landlocked  bay.  Passing  through  the  gateway  or  narrow  channel 
into  the  magnificent  bay — an  island  studded  expanse  of  water  sur- 
rounded by  an  amphitheater  of  mountains,  green  and  glowing  in 
their  eternal  verdure — De  Solis  and  his  companions  through  it  must 
surely  be  the  mouth  of  a  large  river  leading  into  some  land  of 
enchantment,  and  to  commemorate  the  day  on  which  they  first 
looked  upon  it,  they  named  the  place  the  River  of  January,  and  so 
set  it  down  in  their  charts.  Though  it  was  soon  determined  that  the 
name  was  a  misnomer,  as  no  large  river  emptied  into  the  bay,  only 
a  few  minor  streams,  the  appellation  stuck,  and  Rio  de  Janeiro  it 
remained,  but  nowadays  the  city  is  popularly  and  shortly  called  Rio. 

No  settlement  was  made  until  1566.  Then  a  few  Portuguese  colo- 
nists made  their  way  hither  and  soon  the  nucleus  of  a  township  arose 
above  the  shimmering  waters.  First  a  citadel  was  built  on  the  hill 
now  known  as  Morro  de  Castillo.  Then,  in  keeping  with  their  cus- 
toms and  traditions,  the  settlers  chose  a  patron  saint,  their  choice 
falling  on  San  Sebastian.  To  honor  him  a  church,  bearing  his  name, 
was  erected  near  the  citadel.  This  ancient  structure  is  still  standing 
as  a  memorial  of  that  early  time  and  in  it  repose  the  remains  of  the 
leader  of  the  first  colonists,  Estacio  de  Sa. 

The  wonderful  far-famed  harbor  of  Rio,  of  which  artists  rave  and 
poets  dream,  is  about  one  hundred  miles  in  circumference,  scooped 
in  granite  and  walled  in  by  the  foothills  of  the  Organ  Mountains, 
whose  sides  and  crests  are  clothed  in  perpetual  verdure.  These  fan- 
tastically shaped  piles,  with  their  forests  of  palms  and  other  trees 
and  gorgeous  coverings  of  tropical  vegetation,  form  a  superb  setting 
to  the  impressive  grandeur  of  the  scene.  The  approach  to  the  harbor 
is  through  a  narrow  channel  about  a  mile  wide,  between  rocky  prom- 
ontories on  which  forts  have  been  erected.  Were  it  not  for  this 
channel  or  entrance  the  bay  would  be  as  a  lake  surrounded  on  all 
sides  by  land.    It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  early  Portuguese 


420  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

navigators,  without  further  investigation,  took  it  for  the  mouth  of  a 
river. 

As  we  strolled  about  the  steamer  just  before  landing,  the  water 
was  as  a  sheet  of  silver  in  the  sunlight ;  not  a  ripple  was  to  be  seen 
to  divert  our  attention  from  the  little  emerald  isles  and  verdant  shore, 
nor  did  a  cloud  obscure  the  brightness  of  the  azure  sky.  All  was 
serene  and  fair  and  lovely  as  a  young  saint's  dream  of  paradise.  It 
looked  as  if  heaven  were  smiling  on  that  delightful  scene  ,and  that 
the  waters  were  reflecting  back  the  smile.  A  celestial  glory  seemed 
to  rest  on  harbor,  city  and  mountain-top,  and  one  could  not  help 
thinking  that  peace  and  tranquillity,  joy  and  gladness  and  gratitude 
and  thankfulness  should  be  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  so  favored  by 
nature  and  by  heaven  with  suuch  surroundings,  but  it  is  to  be  doubted 
if  the  inhabitants  ever  think  of  the  beneficence  of  a  kindly  providence 
and  the  beauties  which  nature  strews  at  their  feet. 

As  we  looked  shoreward  the  red-topped  roofs  of  the  city  stood 
out  plainly  distinct  against  the  green-clothed  mountains  in  the  back- 
ground, with  the  sunlight  bathing  both  in  a  glorious  luster,  giving 
such  scenic  effect  as  recalled  to  memory  the  stories  we  had  read  of 
the  sinless  Eden  before  the  Eall.  Dull  words  are  inadequate  to  de- 
scribe that  vista  of  loveliness,  it  must  be  left  to  the  imagination,  nor 
can  I  portray  the  buoyancy  of  spirit  and  elevation  of  mind  I  experi- 
enced when  looking  upon  it,  nor  the  feelings  it  inspired,  nor  how  it 
raised  my  thoughts  on  the  wings  of  reverence  and  adoration  to  the 
Almighty  Architect  of  the  Universe  who  manifests  His  power  in  the 
appealing  beauty  as  well  as  in  the  sublimity  of  His  creations. 

At  the  entrance  of  the  harbor  to  our  left  rose  the  famous  Pao  de 
Assucar,  or  old  Sugar  Loaf  Mountain,  a  conical  pile  of  almost  bare 
granite  towering  up  to  a  height  of  3,000  feet.  This  hill  has  often 
been  pictured  and  is  talked  of  all  over  the  world.  It  is  very  steep 
and  can  be  scaled  at  but  one  point,  and  there  by  only  the  boldest 
climbers.  Beyond,  and  hanging  over  the  city,  as  it  were,  towered 
the  still  loftier  Mount  Corcovado  (the  Hunchback),  whh  its  peak 
seeming  to  pierce  the  sky.  Next  appeared  Gavia  (the  Topsail), 
with  almost  perpendicular  sides  and  flat,  table-like  top.  Farther 
still  the  eye  caught  the  bold  outlines  of  the  Dois  Irmaos  (Two 
Brothers),  .fantastically  formed  piles  rising  to  a  great  height 
Indeed,  mountain  after  mountain  extended  away  to  the  sky-line,  and 
the  modern  city  spread  out  like  an  ancient  Rome  over  its  amphi- 
theater of  hills  and  intervening  valleys,  resting  on  its  eternal  founda- 


AN   OLD   DVVEl.LiXCi   ON    I  A.-,  i  iJ.   HILL,    RIO 


OVER  RED  ROOFS  AND  THRO'  TALL  PALMS 


421 


SANTA  ANNA  CHURCH,  RIO 


HOTEL    IXTF.RXATIONAL,    SAN'iW    THERESA,    RIO 


IN  UNRIVALED  RIO  425 

tions  of  granite,  defying  tempest  and  tide  to  disturb  its  rock-ribbed 
repose. 

We  stopped  at  quarantine,  not  far  from  the  Sugar  Loaf.  At  that 
time  the  dock-works,  now  almost  completed,  were  not  avaliable  for 
landing,  so  steamers  had  to  anchor  about  a  mile  ofif  shore,  while  pas- 
sengers and  freight  were  taken  ofif  in  lighters.  A  British  firm  is 
carrying  out  a  contract  for  the  harbor  improvement  and  soon  Rio 
will  have  a  wide  quay  of  solid  masonry  extending  along  the  entire 
northern  front  to  a  deep  artificial  channel,  through  which  ships 
of  the  heaviest  draught  can  pass.  There  will  be  all  modern  facilities 
for  the  handling  of  freight  and  this  will  give  a  great  impetus  to  the 
trade  and  commerce  of  the  place. 

As  it  was,  passengers  had  to  bargain  with  boatmen  to  row  them 
ashore,  the  charge  being  about  five  milreis  for  each  person.  All 
light  baggage  was  examined  by  custom  officials  sent  on  board  for 
the  purpose,  but  the  heavier  pieces  were  not  allowed  on  the  small 
boats  ,and  had  to  remain  until  taken  ofif  by  the  tender  to  the  alfdn- 
dega,  or  custom-house,  on  shore. 

When  landed,  the  next  consideration  is  to  look  out  for  a  good 
hotel.  At  Fifteenth-of-November  Square  you  can  hire  a  tilbury  to 
take  you  where  you  wish  to  go.  This  is  a  peculiar  conveyance,  a 
two-wheeled  gig  on  springs,  with  only  one  seat  for  the  passenger 
beside  the  driver.  In  old  Rio  there  were  few  good  hotels,  none  to 
compare  with  those  in  Buenos  Aires  or  Santiago,  and  strangers  had 
to  be  very  careful  to  avoid  the  numerous  pensions,  or-  boarding- 
houses,  most  of  which  were  merely  disreputable  quarters.  A  great 
change  has  taken  place  and  now  there  are  splendid  hostelries  on  the 
new  Avenida  and  some  fairly  good  ones  on  the  Cottete,  or  main 
street  along  the  bay.  Formerly  travelers  were  advised  to  go  to  hotels 
at  Corcovado  or  Petropolis  to  escape  the  yellow  fever  and  other  dis- 
eases then  common  in  Rio,  but  such  necessity  has  been  obviated,  as 
modern  science,  the  improvements  in  the  city,  the  doing  away  with 
open  street  sewers  and  adherence  to  sanitary  laws  have  banished 
"Yellow  Jack"  and  other  plagues  and  rendered  Rio  as  healthy  and 
clean  as  any  other  city  of  its  size  elsewhere. 

However,  we  did  not  go  to  a  hotel  in  the  city  proper,  but  chose  the 
Internacional,  situated  above  Rio  at  Santa  Theresa,  where  old  Cor- 
covado, like  a  huge  giant,  hung  over  us  as  if  protecting  the  place  be- 
neath his  sheltering  crest.  We  reached  it  by  way  of  the  electric  train, 
following  the  old  gray  stone  aqueduct,  wriggling  zigzag  fashion  like 
a  worm  fence  through  the  cool  forest.    It  was  a  pleasant  yet  strange 


426  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

ride.  As  we  looked  to  the  left  we  could  see  far  below  us  the  Laran- 
jeiros  Valley,  interspersed  here  and  there  with  red  roofs  and  white 
walls,  and  beyond  the  blue  bay  of  Rio,  with  its  many  green  islands 
appearing  so  small  in  the  distance  that  they  looked  like  emerald  dots 
on  a  sapphire  screen.  As  we  proceeded  upward  the  air  became  cooler 
and  our  car  passed  through  dense  foliage,  which  kept  the  rays  of 
the  sun  from  penetrating.  Here  the  old  aqueduct  looked  very  quaint 
and  beautiful  in  its  coating  of  dark-green  moss. 

Nearing  Lagoinha  we  came  to  great  sweeps  of  the  immense  poin- 
setta-trees,  their  deep  red  leaves  glistening  against  the  vivid  green; 
also  many  other  varieties  of  arborage  with  climbing  parasites  and 
vines  and  creepers  intertwining  around  their  boles  and  branches ;  at 
some  places  an  opening  would  occur  in  the  dense  foliage  permitting 
the  sunlight  to  flood  the  roadway,  making  a  brilliant  contrast  with  the 
deep  shade  beneath  the  trees  .  We  passed  many  lovely  little  villas 
with  yards  full  of  roses  and  other  tropical  flowers  picturesquely  ar- 
ranged and  exhaling  a  delightful  perfume  on  the  still  air.  On  the 
whole  the  journey  revealed  a  series  of  wonderful  views,  each  worthy 
the  brush  of  a  master  and  none  of  them  commonplace  enough  to  be 
forgotten  in  years. 

One  might  wish  to  be  buried  somewhere  here  amid  these  tropical 
scenes  so  indescribably  picturesque  and  sublime,  where  the  swish  of 
the  leaves  would  sigh  for  him  an  everlasting  requiem  and  the  smile  of 
the  sunshine  give  eternal  hope  of  a  resurrection  morn. 

The  view  from  the  hotel  embraces  the  harbor,  the  Sugar  Loaf  and 
the  suburbs  of  Botofogo,  and  is  one  which  emotionally  appeals  to  all, 
arousing  feelings  of  rapture  and  delight  which  well  might  excite  the 
envy  of  angels,  and  which  cause  mortals  to  burst  forth  in  ejacula- 
tions of  praise  and  wonder.  You  can  imagine  these  views  in  the  calm 
light  of  sunset,  either  from  the  train  or  from  an  easy  chair  in  the 
hotel  grounds,  when  the  air  is  soft  and  soothing,  playing  through  the 
translucent  leaves  of  the  foliage,  when  old  Mother  Nature  takes  on 
her  gentlest  mood  ere  reposing  for  the  night.  H  you  wish  to  diver- 
sify the  view  you  can  rise  before  dawn  on  some  foggy  morning  when 
the  scenery  changes  its  sunlight  aspect  and  assumes  an  appearance 
indescribable  in  uniqueness  and  charm.  The  mountains  below,  as 
they  rise  up  above  the  mists,  look  like  little  islands  scattered  through 
a  white  sea,  and  as  the  fog  vanishes  in  the  morning  glow,  the  eye 
can  wander  in  rapturous  observation  over  an  endless  variety  of  pic- 
turesque and  glorious  combinations,  all  presenting  a  charming  aspect 
of  the  most  diversified  and  impressive  character.    On  a  clear  day  an 


mu 


4'M^ 


iiB^^i  j-^r 


ROYAL    PALMS,    "CORINTHIAN   ARCHITECTURE,"    RIO 


ROYAL    PALMS,    BOTANIC    GARDEN,    RIO 


427 


DOM    PEDRO    MONUMENT,    RIO 

429 


IN  UNRIVALED  RIO  431 

area  of  fifty  square  miles  can  be  seen  by  the  unaided  eye.  One  of 
the  landmarks  in  this  neighborhood  is  the  old  and  famous  convent  of 
Santa  Theresa  where,  in  bygone  times,  the  women  were  placed  for 
safe-keeping  while  their  husbands  were  off  on  military  expeditions. 
The  old  Carioca  Aqueduct,  along  which  we  passed  when  coming  up, 
was  constructed  in  1744.  It  was  abandoned  years  ago,  yet  it  is  very 
well  preserved,  although  broken  in  many  places.  The  water-supply 
is  now  conveyed  by  a  new  pipe  system. 

I  have  seen  many  seascapes  and  landscapes  in  my  wanderings 
over  the  world — scenes  which  thrilled  the  heart  of  the  romancer  and 
gave  magic  genius  to  the  brush  of  the  painter,  but  to  me  the  view 
of  Rio  and  its  harbor  from  the  Hunchback  Mountain  excelled  in 
beauty,  wealth  of  coloring  and  appealing  charm  all  that  my  eyes  had 
hitherto  rested  upon  and  nowhere  else  on  earth  can  I  hope  to  see 
it  duplicated. 

Since  its  foundation  Rio  has  experienced  many  changes.  Begin- 
ning as  a  small  settlement  of  adventurers,  it  has  been  successively 
the  capital  of  a  Capitancia,  a  Province,  a  Kingdom,  an  Empire  and  a 
Republic.  For  upward  of  two  centuries  Brazil  was  the  seat  of  Por- 
tuguese power  on  the  Western  continent.  The  royal  family  of  Por- 
tugal sought  its  shores  when  the  Eagle  of  Napoleon  flapped  its  wings 
above  a  throne,  and  Rio  became  the  center  of  the  wealth  and  pomp, 
the  splendor  and  gayety  of  an  extravagant  and  powerful  Court. 
When  the  Eagle's  wings  were  clipped  and  Napoleon  overthrown. 
Royalty  returned  to  the  home  land.  An  independent  Empire  was  then 
established  in  Brazil  ,and  the  son  of  the  reigning  monarch  of  Por- 
tugal, Dom  Pedro  I,  was  chosen  as  ruler  of  the  new  nation.  This 
was  in  1822.  Nine  years  later,  the  people,  becoming  dissatisfied,  this 
monarch  was  forced  to  abdicate.  His  son,  a  mere  boy,  succeeded  him 
as  Pedro  II.  During  his  minority  a  regency  directed  the  affairs  of 
the  country,  but  on  coming  of  age,  Pedro  asserted  himself  and  be- 
came a  wise  and  able  ruler.  He  was  an  enlightened  prince,  a  lover 
of  science,  art  and  letters.  The  country  progressed  under  him,  for 
he  inspired  the  confidence  of  European  countries  so  that  loans  anrl 
securities  were  easily  negotiated.  He  ruled  until  1889,  when  a  mili- 
tary conspiracy  and  the  resentment  of  planters  and  slave-owners  over 
the  abolition  of  slavery,  caused  a  revolution  and  Dom  Pedro  II  was 
dethroned.  The  revolutionists  seized  the  palace  in  Rio,  the  Emperor 
was  taken  prisoner  and  he  and  his  family  shipped  off  to  Europe. 
General  de  Fonseca  proclaimed  himself  President  of  the  Republic 
and  soon  despotism  and  anarchy  took  the  place  of  the  peace  and  pros- 


432  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

perity  the  country  had  enjoyed  under  the  sixty  years'  rule  of  the 
good  Dom  Pedro. 

Affairs  have  much  improved  in  the  United  States  of  Brazil  since 
then,  though  there  is  still  a  strong  leaven  of  discontent.  Each  man 
and  party  are  out  for  themselves  all  the  time,  endeavoring  to  further 
their  own  interests  at  the  expense  of  those  of  others,  as  is  the  case 
in  almost  all  republics.  There  are  many  factions  in  Brazilian  poli- 
tics at  the  present  time.  State  issues  are  crossed  by  federal  issues, 
and  in  turn,  the  latter  are  confused  by  the  former.  Still,  there  is  one 
cause  of  dissension  absent,  a  cause  which  has  distracted  the  other 
Spanish-American  Republics  and  that  is  the  struggle  of  church  and 
clericalism  against  the  principles  of  religious  equality,  for  the  sepa- 
ration of  church  and  state  is  complete  throughout  Brazil  and  neither 
church  nor  religion  seems  to  have  any  influence  whatever  upon  the 
thought  or  actions  of  the  laity. 

That  great  progress  has  been  made  ,and  within  a  short  time,  in 
material  advancement  cannot  be  denied.  Large  towns  have  sprung 
up,  the  cities  have  increased  in  population,  their  architecture  has  been 
remodeled,  the  laws  of  sanitation  enforced  and  the  mode  of  living 
revolutionized.  This  advancement  is  strikingly  seen  in  the  capital 
city.  Within  the  past  ten  years  or  so  Rio  has  been  metamorphosed 
from  a  city  of  antiquated  streets  and  old-fashioned  open-sewered, 
foul-smelling  thoroughfares  into  a  splendid  metropolis  of  stately  ar- 
chitecture with  broad  avenues  and  beautiful  boulevards  well  lighted 
and  having  every  addenda  and  appurtenance  in  keeping  with  the 
trend  of  national  progress  and  prosperity. 

The  Avenida  Central  is  known  as  the  "eleven  million  dollar  boule- 
vard,'" and  is  certainly  one  of  the  finest  streets  in  the  world.  It  is 
not  as  yet  fully  completed.  It  extends  for  a  mile,  starting  at  a  sec- 
tion of  the  city  called  the  Maua  and  continuing  through  the  heart  of 
the  capital  to  the  Monroe  Palace.  It  is  one  hundred  and  five  feet 
in  breadth,  with  wide  pavements  of  mosaic  in  unique  designs.  There 
are  rows  of  Brazilian  palms  along  each  curb  and  one  down  the  center, 
which  gives  an  appearance  somewhat  similar  to  a  French  boulevard. 
Fine  buildings  of  really  artistic  design  line  either  side.  Among  these 
are  the  National  Library,  the  Opera  House,  the  Municipal  Building 
and  the  offices  of  the  leading  newspapers.  This  magnificent  street 
was  constructed  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time  conisdering  the 
work  which  had  to  be  accomplished.  Its  site  was  a  tangle  of  narrow, 
ill-smelling  streets  and  lanes  which  was  an  eyesore  to  the  city  as  well 
as  positively  deleterious  to  the  health  of  the  inhabitants.     The  mu- 


A  BREAD-FRUIT  TREE,  RIO 


STREET  HUCKSTERS,   RIO 


433 


435 


IN  UNRIVALED  RIO  437 

nicipal  government  purchased  the  ground  at  a  large  figure  and  im- 
mediately set  a  force  of  3,000  men  at  work  in  day  and  night  shifts, 
pulling  down  the  old  buildings  and  removing  the  debris.  Then  the 
new  construction  began,  and  inside  of  two  years  the  splendid  avenue 
which  is  now  the  pride  of  the  city  was  almost  completed,  at  a  cost 
approximated  at  eleven  million  dollars. 

It  was  from  this  avenue  that  we  set  out,  on  our  first  morning  in 
Rio,  to  see  the  sights  of  the  wonderful  city  of  magnificent  views. 
Buenos  Aires,  as  we  have  shown,  is  not  entitled  to  that  name,  but  Rio 
is  entitled  to  the  name  of  Buenas  Vistas,  *'City  of  Beautiful  Vistas." 
To  get  posted  on  the  principal  buildings,  landmarks  and  streets,  we 
called  at  a  little  card  shop  to  purchase  some  picture  postals.  These 
picture  cards  are  very  plentiful  but  on  the  whole  the  photographs 
are  poor,  for  it  is  difficult  to  get  good  illustrations  in  Rio.  The  at- 
mosphere is  damp,  which  renders  it  hard  to  successfully  develop  the 
films  or  plates.  We  picked  out  a  dozen  or  so  of  views  and  then  com- 
menced the  trouble  of  finding  out  how  much  we  were  to  pay  for 
them.  We  learned  that  the  total  cost  was  2,000  reis, — dois  milreis. 
This  may  sound  as  a  very  extravagant  price,  but  when  the  monetary 
basis  of  the  currency  is  considered  the  large  figures  becomes  less 
formidable.  It  is  easy  to  become  a  millionaire  in  Rio  if  you  reckon 
your  wealth  in  reis,  for  one  million  reis  are  equivalent  to  about  $300 
of  our  money.  You  may  feel  like  a  Rockefeller  or  a  Carnegie  when 
you  come  out  of  the  bank  with  a  package  of  bills  amounting  to 
many  thousands  of  reis,  but  you  are  quickly  disillusioned  when  it 
comes  to  paying  expenses.  A  few  thousand  reis  go  but  a  small  way 
in  settling  your  hotel  bill.  It  takes  three  hundred  reis  to  mail  a  letter, 
and  a  street-car  ride  costs  you  four  hundred.  The  reis  is  an  infini- 
tesimally  small  coin,  and  a  thousand  of  them,  that  is,  one  milreis,  are 
equal  to  only  about  30  cents.  So  our  dozen  cards,  after  all,  cost  us 
but  60  cents  in  United  States  money.  The  currency  is  in  paper,  and 
very  dirty  paper  it  is. 

The  language  is  almost  as  bad  as  the  money.  Portuguese  is  mostly 
used,  but  to  me  it  sounded  like  a  patois  of  Spanish.  I  tried  to  get 
along  with  ordinary  Spanish,  but  failing  in  this  I  fell  back  on 
French  and  managed  to  make  myself  understood  in  that  language 
especially  with  the  better  class  of  the  natives  who  more  or  less  un- 
derstand and  speak  that  tongue. 

In  order  to  acquire  an  acquaintance  with  the  relative  bearings  of 
the  city  and  scenery  we  mounted  Castle  Hill,  from  where  we  en- 
joyed a  fine  vista  of  the  red  tile  roof  tops  and  the  waters  of  the  bay. 


438  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

as  well  as  the  windings  of  the  streets  climbing  up  the  hills  and  run- 
ning down  into  the  valleys.  We  were  able  to  take  in  the  general  "lay" 
of  the  city  and  its  environments  and  get  a  good  idea  of  its  principal 
landmarks  and  ramifications. 

Returning  we  took  the  *'Bond"  or  electric  train  from  the  Avenida 
Central  and  rode  along  toward  Botofogo  passing  many  narrow 
streets  with  houses  of  different  heights  and  colors,  some  with  stores, 
above  which  the  proprietors  live.  As  there  are  no  back-yards  or 
gardens  ,the  only  place  the  people  have  for  taking  an  airing  is  in 
little  balconies  which  extend  out  from  each  story  of  the  house. 

The  "Bonds,"  as  they  are  called,  which  are  the  means  of  rapid  tran- 
sit in  Rio,  are  simply  American  trolley-cars  run  by  a  company  com- 
posed of  American  and  Canadian  capitalists.  There  are  two  classes 
of  these  cars,  the  first-class  being  devoted  to  well-dressed'  persons 
without  bundles  and  the  second  to  the  working-classes  with  heavy 
packages.  The  origin  of  the  name  is  curious.  When  the  system  was 
first  inaugurated,  the  people  had  heard  much  about  American 
bonds  in  connection  with  the  negotiation,  hence  the  name  was 
applied  to  the  cars,  and  it  has  clung  to  them  ever  since. 

Many  of  the  streets  were  thronged  with  carts,  wagons,  pannier 
mules  and  donkeys  carrying  the  wares  of  the  peddlers  and  hucksters, 
consisting  of  vegetables,  fruits,  fowls,  fish,  bread,  cakes  and  doces 
(sweets).  The  vegetables  are  generally  placed  in  large  baskets  which 
are  slung  over  the  backs  of  the  animals  with  a  rope  attachment,  one 
on  either  side.  Sometimes  the  venders  carry  the  baskets  suspended 
from  a  long  pole  placed  across  their  own  shoulders.  The  cakes  and 
doces  are  usually  in  glass  cases  which  are  borne  around  on  the  head. 
Bread  and  confectionery  are  also  carried  on  the  head  in  receptacles 
like  a  baby's  crib,  lined  with  red  flannel.  This  head-carrying  method 
is  quite  characteristic  of  the  place,  and  reminds  one  of  the  Italian 
burden-bearers  of  our  Northern  cities.  In  fact  everything  that  is  not 
too  heavy  is  hoisted  on  to  the  head  and,  thus  laden,  the  peripatetic 
merchants  make  their  way  from  door  to  door  and  from  place  to  place. 
These  itinerant  street-hawkers  keep  up  a  constant  and  raucous  din 
calling  out  their  wares.  Some  use  tin  whistles,  some  horns,  while 
others  clap  sticks  together  to  herald  their  approach.  The  fowl-ped- 
dlers crush  as  many  as  twenty  live  chickens  and  roosters  into  a  bas- 
ket and  with  the  cackling  and  crowing  of  these  and  the  whoops  and 
sliouts  of  the  sellers  a  very  Babel  of  discordant  noise  is  kept  up  which 
is  very  trying  to  the  ears  of  strangers. 

On  the  streets  we  saw  people  of  many  shades  of  color,  from  the 


A    CHK  KEN    PEDDLER,    RIO 


'CHICKENS  FOR  SALE"— ANOTHER  STYLE 


439 


"DULCES"   PEDDLER,  RIO 


'SWEET   DRINKS."    RIO 


441 


IN  UNRIVALED  RIO  443 

blond-haired  Teuton  with  pink  cheeks  and  blue  eyes  to  the  dark- 
orbed  Spaniard  with  raven  curls  and  swarthy  skin.  Of  the  so-called 
colored  class  the  representatives  ranged  in  complexion  from  black 
coffee  to  lightest  chocolate.    Most  of  the  natives  are  dark-visaged. 

Coming  to  the  bay  we  passed  beautiful  "palacetes,"  or  residences, 
commanding  a  view  overlooking  the  harbor  and  the  shore  drive. 
Here  we  left  the  train  and  turned  up  the  Gloria  Hill,  but  not  before 
taking  a  rest  on  a  low  wall  put  up  to  prevent  the  unwary  from  tum- 
bling down  the  steep  embankment.  The  top  of  this  hill  recalled  to  us 
the  Scripture  idea  of  a  city  on  a  hill,  but  not  "from  the  top  of  Her- 
mon"  or  any  other  mount  of  old  was  the  scene  more  enchanting. 
Upon  this  hill  is  situated  the  quaint,  old,  white-washed  church  of 
Nossa  Senhora  da  Gloria,  a  fitting  place  to  rest  and  meditate  if  one 
is  inclined  that  way.  Coming  down  from  the  top  we  passed  old  gray 
walls  over  which  hung  poinsettas,  with  their  flaming  flowers,  and 
other  trees  rich  in  foliage  and  blossoms,  many  of  them  entwined  with 
parasitic  growths.  There  were  also  tangles  of  vines  with  great  or- 
chids blooming  among  them,  which  would  command  a  high  price  in 
the  cities  of  the  United  States. 

We  took  the  train  again  and  were  whirled  along  to  a  beautiful  lake 
of  about  two  miles  in  diameter,  which  is  connected  with  the  ocean. 
On  the  way  we  passed  many  handsome  residences.  The  Chapa,  or 
conductor,  called  out  "Jardim  Botanico,"  and  we  got  out  to  view  this 
wonderland  of  nature.  This  garden  is  situated  between  the  Cor- 
covado  and  the  sea.  A  neat  hedge  of  Brazilian  thorn  separates  it 
from  the  dusty  road.  It  is  said  that  there  is  only  one  flower-garden 
in  all  the  world  superior  to  that  of  Rio,  and  it  is  in  Buitenzorg  in 
Java.  I  have  seen  this  garden,  and  in  comparing  it  with  that  of  Rio 
I  would  give  the  palm,  the  precedence  to  the  latter.  Rio's  ''Jai'dim" 
is  simply  gorgeous  in  its  loveliness,  a  treasure-house  of  tropical 
beauty  which  dazzles  the  eye  with  the  richness  of  its  flowers  and 
plants  and  trees.  Walking  along  its  gravel  pathways  we  saw  many 
strange  and  novel  specimens,  among  which  an  amateur  botanist  might 
revel  for  hours.  Of  the  many  curious  products  of  nature  we  ob- 
served, the  bread-fruit  tree  appealed  to  us  most,  not  that  we  were 
hungry  or  in  need  of  partaking  of  its  rough  spheroidal  treasures, 
which  somewhat  resemble  a  green  pineapple,  though  the  covering  is 
not  so  spiny  nor  the  fruit  as  long.  When  fully  matured  the  fruit 
turns  yellow.  In  its  green  or  unripe  state  it  contains  a  milky  juice, 
and  when  the  edible  stage  is  reached  it  resembles  fresh  bread,  being 
white  and  mealy.    It  is  then  slightly  tart.    When  baked  it  is  sweetish 


444  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

and  somewhat  astringent,  but  otherwise  tasteless.  It  is  generally 
used  by  being  beaten  into  a  paste  with  cocoanut  milk,  but  sometimes 
it  is  served  with  bananas  and  plantains.  The  tree  itself  grows  to  a 
height  of  about  forty  feet  and  the  stem  or  bole  is  branchless  for  about 
halfway  up.  The  leaves  are  dark  green,  some  three  feet  long,  and 
have  from  three  to  nine  lobes.  It  produces  several  crops  in  the  year. 
We  saw  great  clusters  of  bamboos,  some  of  the  stalks  being  over 
fifty  feet  long.  The  leaves  were  feathery  and  very  pretty  and 
afforded  a  fine  shade. 

In  coming  out  of  this  paradise  of  flowers  and  plants  we  stopped 
under  the  magnificent  avenue  of  palm-trees  that  is  unsurpassed  in  the 
world.  Rio  is  the  home  of  the  royal  palm ;  it  is  all  over,  and  as  *'a 
thing  of  beauty"  cannot  be  excelled.  These  noble  trees  with  their 
circular  columns  tower  up  to  a  height  of  from  one  hundred  to  two 
hundred  feet.  Their  symmetrical  shafts  of  silver-gray,  smooth  as 
a  billiard-ball,  are  bare  to  the  top,  where  they  end  in  a  canopy  of 
graceful,  fern-like  green  leaves  which  remind  one  of  a  huge  feather- 
duster.  Many  of  the  residences  are  surrounded  by  them  and  they 
serve  better  than  marble  columns  or  fluted  pillars.  Nowhere  are  they 
seen  to  better  advantage  than  in  this  splendid  avenue  of  the  Botanic 
Garden,  for  their  great  height  and  bare  stems  strikingly  contrast  with 
the  other  arborage  and  vegetation. 

On  our  ride  we  had  wound  around  mountains,  skirted  hills,  swept 
through  valleys,  passed  beautiful  villas  and  looked  upon  glittering 
lakes  reflecting  back  the  sunshine,  yet  we  had  only  made  a  seven-mile 
trip  from  where  we  first  started,  and  measured  as  the  crow  flies, 
it  would  not  have  been  half  that  distance. 

On  our  return  we  stopped  just  before  we  reached  the  Aveniia 
Central  at  the  "Passeio  Publico,"  or  public  walks.  This  is  a  pretty 
little  park  situated  near  the  Monroe  Palace.  It  has  very  fashionable 
and  popular  promenades.  The  entrance  is  unpretentious  but  within 
there  are  serpentine  canals,  lovely  walks  and  some  small  jets  d'eaiix 
which  flash  and  sparkle  in  iridescent  beauty  in  the  sunlight.  From 
the  terrace,  which  is  neatly  constructed,  having  at  each  end  an  oc- 
tagonal house,  there  is  a  splendid  view  of  the  harbor,  the  Sugar  Loaf 
and  the  Gloria  Hill. 

Though  Rio  has  been  metamorphosed  in  recent  years  from  an 
architectural  standpoint,  many  features  of  the  old  city  still  remain. 
The  chief  of  these  is  the  famous  old  Ouvidor,  a  unique  street  which 
might  be  termed  the  Broadway  of  the  Capital,  that  is,  in  a  business 
sense,  for  it  is  far  from  broad  as  a  thoroughfare.    In  fact  it  is  so  nar- 


'NOT  ALL   IS    CARRIKD    ()i\    FOOT."    RIO 


QUAINT  STREET  VENDER,  RIO 


445 


il 

4k 

h 

I'L 

i 

W                  -^iM 

^ 

M 

^ 

1^^^ 

FRONT   OF  A   DRINK   SHOP,   RIO 


THE   MONROE    PALACE,    AVENIDA    CENTRAL,    RIO 


447 


IN  UNRIVALED  RIO  449 

row  that  vehicles  are  not  permitted  in  it  at  all.  It  is  crowded  every 
minute  of  the  day  by  throngs  of  shoppers,  business  men,  loungers 
and  those  who  simply  come  to  see  the  sights  and  gossip.  Many  of  the 
best  stores  are  here,  and  there  is  a  cafe  or  restaurant  at  almost  every 
turn.  Sometimes  so  dense  is  the  mass  of  humanity  that  it  is  difficult 
to  make  way  through  the  place.  A  great  annoyance  is  the  lottery 
peddlers,  who  accost  you  at  every  turn,  importuning  you  to  take  a 
chance.  It  is  also  a  great  resort  for  the  politicians.  Here  the  office- 
seeker  holds  receptions  on  the  sidewalks,  here  the  representatives 
come  to  feel  the  pulse  of  their  constituents,  and  here  the  people  dis- 
cuss the  relative  merits  of  those  seeking  their  suffrage.  Here,  also, 
and  too  often,  are  plots  laid  and  hatched  which  result  in  crime  and 
bloodshed.  The  houses  which  line  this  street  are  old,  of  from  one  to 
three  stories,  but  they  put  forth  a  brave  show  as  far  as  paint  is  con- 
cerned, being  daubed  in  all  the  coloring  of  the  rainbow — pink,  yellow, 
white  ,blue,  brown  and  green.  Being  so  irregular  in  height  they  cut 
the  sky-line  in  a  serrated  appearance  like  the  teeth  of  a  saw,  minus  a 
tooth  here  and  there. 

Some  of  the  stores  along  the  Ouvidor  are  very  good.  There  are 
many  jewelers'  shops.  Everybody  has  heard  of  Brazilian  diamonds. 
They  are  very  fine  stones,  although  they  are  not  popular  with  Yankee 
lapidaries,  and  the  setting  does  not  show  as  good  workmanship  as 
we  are  accustomed  to  see  in  the  States.  There  are  large  dry-goods 
emporiums,  for  the  people  are  very  fond  of  dress.  Tailor  shops  and 
millinery  establishments  do  a  good  business.  It  is  somewhat  curious 
and  wonderful  to  see  silks  and  velvets,  worsteds  and  broadcloths 
marked  in  the  windows  at  2,000,  3,000  and  4,000  per  yard,  but  when 
you  come  to  understand  that  reis  are  meant  curiosity  and  wonder 
vanish. 

The  cafes  along  this  street  are  always  crowded.  There  the  people 
sit  drinking  coffee  all  day  long,  coffee  '*as  strong  as  the  devil,  as  hot 
as  hell,  as  black  as  ink  and  as  sweet  as  love."  Certainly  the  coffee 
is  good,  and  it  is  cheap.  It  is  said  that  the  inordinate  drinking  of 
this  beverage  has  tended  to  make  the  people  nervous  and  high  strung, 
and  it  can  be  well  believed.  It  is  also  claimed  that  the  coffee  gets 
into  their  complexions  and  makes  them  more  dark-skinned  in  feature 
than  they  otherwise  would  be.  I  certainly  saw  many  coffee-colored 
people,  but  whether  the  liquid  had  any  part  in  making  them  such  I 
cannot  say. 

Besides  the  Ouvidor  there  are  many  other  narrow  streets,  relics 
of  bygone  time,  which  seem  to  defy  modern  innovation  to  change 


450  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

them.  And  the  nomenclature  seems  strange  to  a  N orte-Ainericano  or 
Yanqui,  as  the  Brazihans  prefer  to  call  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 
For  instance,  there  is  the  '^Seventh  of  September"  Street  and  the 
"First  of  March"  Street  and  few  know  why  these  are  so  called  or 
what  happened  on  those  days.  The  ''Fifteenth  of  November" 
Square,  of  course,  commemorates  the  birth  of  the  Republic.  Then 
religion  plays  a  good  part  in  naming  the  streets.  There  are  the 
''Street  of  Good  Jesus,"  "St.  John  the  Baptist  Street,"  "St.  John  the 
Evangelist  Street,"  "San  Sebastian  Street,'  'and  many  others  called 
after  favorite  saints,  but  if  the  Saints  could  see  some  of  them  th«:;y 
might  not  feel  honored  at  this  form  of  saint  worship  which  character- 
izes the  good  "Flumenenses,"  as  the  inhabitants  of  Rio  are  called, 
from  that  erroneous  conception  of  the  early  discoverers  that  the 
place  was  the  mouth  of  a  river. 

Of  the  modern  thoroughfares  the  next  best  to  the  Avenida  Central 
and  practically  a  continuation  of  it  is  the  Beira  Mar  (around  the 
sea)  which,  beginning  at  the  Monroe  Palace,  runs  between  the  hills 
and  the  bay  and  follows  the  outline  of  the  latter.  It  is  a  lovely  boule- 
vard of  double  parks  and  rows  of  stately  palms  through  which  the 
lights  and  shades  play  with  charming  effect.  Along  it  are  many  fine 
residences.  The  drive  leads  out  past  the  Praia  da  Lapa,  the  Praia  da 
Russell  and  the  Praia  da  Flamengo  until  the  horseshoe  curve  of  Boto- 
fogo  is  reached,  the  place  where  the  Exposition  of  1908  was  held,  the 
buildings  of  which  are  still  standing. 

The  Rua  Uruguayana  is  another  thoroughfare  which  has  been 
widened  and  beautified.  It  is  a  fairly  broad  street  now,  running 
at  right  angles  to  the  Avenida  Central.  On  a  corner  of  the  Rua  Uru- 
guayana stands  the  Caixa  de  Amortizacao,  or  treasury  building, 
where  the  paper  and  gold  money  is  exchanged.  It  is  a  very  beauti- 
ful structure  of  a  chaste  style  of  architecture  and  is  much  admired 
by  sight-seers. 

The  Canal  do  Mangue  runs  through  the  center  of  the  Mangue. 
There  are  four  driveways  along  it,  two  on  either  side  of  the  canal. 
Leaving  the  palms  the  avenue  takes  a  broad  sweep  and  following  the 
course  of  the  canal  leads  to  the  new  docks,  where  great  warehouses 
have  been  erected  to  take  care  of  freight. 

These  streets  are  very  busy  during  the  day,  when  they  are  ani- 
mated and  brilliant  with  well-dressed  men  and  women  on  foot,  in 
carriages  and  in  automobiles.  The  Avenida  Central  is  especially  gay 
in  the  afternoons  when  the  hon  ton  come  out  for  drives  and  prome- 


GOOD    TYPE    OF    NEGRESS,    RIO 


BROOM  AND   BASKET  PEDDLER,   RIO 


451 


'SCISSORS  TO  GRIND,"  RIO 


FISH    VENDER,    RIO 


453 


IN  UNRIVALED  RIO  455 

nades,  the  splendid  Parisian  costumes  of  the  ladies  attracting  much 
attention. 

Rio  can  boast  many  fine  public  buildings.  The  Municipal  Building 
is  a  vast  ornate  pile,  brilliant  in  color  and  adorned  with  statues.  A 
number  of  royal  palms  surrounding  it  give  it  a  splendid  setting.  The 
Municipal  Theater  cost  several  million  dollars  and  will  hold  twenty 
thousand  people.  There  are  several  other  theaters,  but  none  ap- 
proaches in  size  or  style  this  great  temple  dedicated  to  dramatic  art. 
All,  however,  are  well  attended.  Performances  are  given  in  French, 
Spanish  and  Portuguse.  In  the  winter  season  there  is  Italian  Opera, 
which  is  liberally  patronized  by  the  upper  classes.  The  National 
Library  and  the  Museum  of  Art  are  also  large  buildings  well  worthy 
a  visit,  not  alone  for  their  architectural  grandeur  but  for  the  books, 
pictures,  statuary  and  specimens  they  contain.  The  National  Mu- 
seum is  hidden  away  in  an  immense  park  on  the  opposite  side  of 
Rio ;  it  was  formerly  the  palace  of  the  Emperor.  It  contains  many 
collections  of  scientific  interest  and  many  specimens  of  the  animal 
and  insect  life  of  Brazil  together  with  exhibitions  of  the  handiwork 
of  the  aboriginal  tribes,  the  descendants  of  whom  are  to  be  found 
still  in  different  parts  of  the  republic.  The  Monroe  Palace,  which  is 
a  reproduction  of  the  Brazilian  building  at  the  St.  Louis  Exposition, 
marks  "the  boundary  between  the  Avenida  Central  and  the  Beira 
Mar.  It  was  specially  erected  for  the  sessions  of  the  Pan-American 
conference  which  were  held  in  it  in  1906. 

Other  interesting  public  struuctures  rise  up  in  variouus  parts  of 
the  city.  Of  these  may  be  mentioned  the  Casa  de  Moeda  (mint), 
the  Congress  and  Senate  Buildings,  the  Navy  and  War  Departments, 
and  the  Mansion  of  the  President.  The  Misericordia  Hospital, 
facing  the  bay,  is  an  enormouus  structure  and  is  said  to  be  the  largest 
of  its  kind  in  the  world.  It  was  founded  by  the  Sisters  of  Mercy 
soon  after  the  first  settlement  was  made.  The  building  has  been 
overhauled  and  remodeled  several  times.  It  has  accommodation  for 
1,200  patients. 

There  are  many  more  structures  of  interest,  but,  as  the  auctioneers' 
bills  say,  they  are  too  numerous  to  mention.  The  points  of  interest, 
the  landmarks,  the  streets,  the  buildings  of  Rio  would  require  vol- 
umes to  describe  them,  nor  can  they  be  seen  in  a  day,  a  week,  or  even 
in  a  year.  The  artificial  beauty,  the  man-made  features  of  the  city, 
are  many  and  imposing,  but  the  natural  beauties,  the  impressive 
grandeur,  the  effects  of  mountain  and  sky  and  sea  and  shore  are 
inexhauustible,   illimitable,  boundless.     Something  new,   something 


456  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

fresh,  something  novel,  something  unique  in  charm  and  setting  is 
ever  before  the.  eye'  to  claim  attention,  to  captivate  and  inspire. 

There  is  an  old  saying  which  has  it, — *'See  Naples  and  die."  I 
would  improve  it  and  say, — *'See  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  live, — live  to 
keep  it  green  and  fresh  and  fair  in  memory." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
AROUND  AND  ABOUT  RIO 

PLACES    OF    INTEREST    AND    IMPORTANCE    NEAR    THE    CITY 


Rio  has  many  beautiful  environs,  and  some  of  them  are  places  of 
much  importance,  being  residental  sections  of  the  wealthier  classes, 
or  retreats  for  statesmen,  office-holders,  politicians  and  government 
officials.  A  number  of  villages  and  fairly  large  towns  are  within  easy 
reach  of  the  city.  Of  the  latter  the  first  in  importance  is  Petropolis, 
where  good  old  Dom  Pedro  II  had  his  palace,  and  where  the  kindly, 
lovable  Emperor  spent  most  of  his  time.  It  is  about  thirty  miles  from 
Rio,  and  when  we  were  there  the  short  trip  had  to  be  made  both  by 
water  and  by  land,  the  first  part  being  on  boat  across  the  blue  bay  to 
the  Maua  landing,  thence  by  train  up  a  steep  incline  for  the  rest  of 
the  way.  Now,  I  understand  it  is  possible  to  make  the  whole  jour- 
ney by  rail  and  in  half  the  time  formerly  required  by  the  water-and- 
land  route.  Yet,  if  I  were  there  again  I  would  prefer  to  make 
the  trip  as  we  did,  for  it  is  more  romantic  and  affords  a  better  and 
more  diversified  view  of  the  country.  We  had  a  delightful  little  sail 
across  the  bay,  past  the  Fiscal  Island  with  its  imposing  edifice,  and 
other  islands  glittering  like  jewels  in  a  sapphire  setting,  as  the  beams 
of  the  morning  sun  struuck  the  waters  until  we  came  to  the  project- 
ing wooden  jetty  of  the  Maua  landing,  where  we  made  connection 
with  the  oldest  railroad  in  the  republic.  This  is  a  branch  of  the 
Leopoldina  System,  which  is  the  greatest  system  in  Brazil,  being  a 
consolidation  of  many  small  lines,  and  possessing  the  first  rails  laid 
in  the  country,  in  1856,  by  Viscount  Maua.  An  English  Company, 
about  a  dozen  years  ago,  took  over  the  bonds  of  the  several  subor- 
dinate Hues,  since  when  there  has  been  a  decided  improvement  in  the 
management,  the  expenses  being  less  and  the  income  greater. 

457 


458  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

For  a  short  distance  the  road  runs  over  a  low  and  rather  swampy 
course,  but  we  soon  struck  the  foothills  of  the  mountains  and  began 
a  very  stiff  climb,  which  in  some  places  marks  a  gradient  of  fifteen 
per  cent.  When  we  reached  the  maximum  the  incline  was  so  great 
that  some  of  us  thought  we  were  about  to  emulate  the  "fly  on  the 
ceiling"  act  with  heads  down  and  heels  up.  The  wonderful  beauty 
of  the  scenery  and  the  views  to  be  obtained  more  than  compensated 
for  any  jar  our  nerves  may  have  sustained  in  the  ascent.  The  coun- 
try became  rugged  and  of  romantic  character.  The  sides  of  the 
mountains,  broken  and  precipitous,  are  clothed  with  gorgeous  and 
enormous  tropical  vegetation.  The  tall  royal  palm  majestically  tops 
oft"  the  rocky  crests,  and  smaller  palms  and  other  trees  spring  forth 
wherever  they  can  get  a  lodgment  for  their  roots  in  the  hard  soil 
which  sparsely  covers  the  rocks.  Deep-green  ferns  wave  their  myriad 
fronds  back  and  forth,  and  the  feathery  tops  of  the  tall  bamboos 
rustle  in  the  gentle  breeze.  Giant  orchids  of  many  forms  and  glow- 
ing colors  cling  from  great  trees  above  the  jungle  of  matted  green 
bushes  and  these,  with  the  parasites  and  other  specimens  of  air  plants 
which  creep  around  the  stems  and  branches,  give  a  variety  and 
brightness  that  relieve  the  density  of  the  thick  foliage  and  vegetation. 
As  the  train  ascends  many  and  novel  glimpses  are  caught  of  the  blue 
bay.  and  its  islands  with  the  roofs  of  the  big  city  beyond,  and  away 
in  the  background  the  towering  heights  of  Corcovado  and  Tijuca. 
The  cloud  effects  are  magnificent  and  ever  varying.  At  times  the 
clouds  sweep  down  the  mountains  in  great  billowy  waves  shutting 
out  heights  and  hollows,  trees  and  vegetation ;  again  they  drift  in 
and  out  in  thin  lines  like  gray  shadows  among  the  defiles  and  gorges 
of  the  massive  hills,  as  if  making  their  way  to  some  rendezvous  of 
cloud  land.  But  the  grandest  transformation  takes  place  when  the 
sunbeams  drive  the  vapors  before  them,  and  the  clouds  dissolve  away 
over  mountain  and  sea  leaving  an  unobscured  view  of  land  and  water, 
and  one  can  see  in  all  the  charm  of  perspective  beauty  the  red-tiled 
roofs  and  white  walls  of  Rio,  sitting  on  its  crescent  above  the  shim- 
mering green  of  the  sapphire  bay. 

Ravines  are  crossed  and  overhead  massive  walls  of  rock  look  as  if 
the  slightest  commotion  would  topple  them  from  their  bases  into  the 
yawning  chasms  beneath.  Mountain  streams  toss  and  foam  through 
the  gorges,  and  when  there  is  a  heavy  rainfall  these  swell  and  foam 
with  the  fury  of  miniature  cataracts.  But  in  fair  weather  or  foul 
there  is  always  an  impressiveness  in  the  scenery  and  a  diversity  of 
view  which  well  repay  the  traveler  for  the  journey. 


VIEW  FROM  CURVELLO,  RIO,  SHOWING  SUGAR  LOAF 


EN  ROUTE  TO  CORCOVADO,  RIO 


FAREWELL  TO  RIO  AND  THE  SOUTHLAND      461 

After  the  alta  da  serra,  or  top  of  the  mountain,  is  reached,  it  is 
but  a  short  and  easy  ride  down  to  PetropoHs,  nesthng  among  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Organ  Mountains.  Situated  as  it  is,  needless  to  say  it  is 
a  pretty  town.  The  population  is  almost  20,000,  but  it  fluctuates  con- 
siderably. There  are  many  delightful  homes  and  pleasant  villas,  for 
a  good  number  of  wealthy  Brazilians  have  their  summer  residences 
here  and,  besides,  it  is  the  headquarters  for  the  Diplomatic  Corps 
or  representatives  of  foreign  governments  to  the  Court  of  the  United 
States  of  Brazil.  This  is  the  only  place  outside  a  capital  where  the 
legations  have  their  homes  the  year  round.  Uncle  Sam  has  one  of 
the  finest  houses  in  the  whole  place.  In  fact  every  traveler,  whether 
from  the  United  States  or  elsewhere,  is  interested  in  the  home  of  the 
American  Legation.  Although  but  a  one-storied  building  it  has  an 
imposing  appearance  with  its  large  portico  supported  by  gray  Doric 
columns.  It  is  built  of  stone  and  stucco,  and  the  rooms  are  large 
and  have  very  high  ceilings.  The  garden  and  grounds  are  beautiful, 
scientifically  laid  out  and  ornamented  with  a  profusion  of  rare  plants 
and  trees.  There  are  those  indigenous  to  the  tropics  and  the  hardier 
representatives  of  northern  climes.  Masses  of  color  meet  the  eye 
at  every  turn — reds,  pinks,  yellows,  carnations  and  whites.  Camelias, 
which  we  are  accustomed  to  see  only  in  hot-houses,  bloom  here  in 
the  open  air  in  flush  of  growth,  and  great  bushes  of  rhododendrons 
put  forward  their  blooms  in  a  wealth  of  profusion  and  size  not  seen 
elsewhere,  while  their  cousins,  the  azaleas,  raise  their  evergreen 
leaves  and  fragrant  flowers  in  a  regal  glory  all  their  own.  Palm- 
trees  of  many  varieties  skirt  the  walks  of  the  lawn,  and  beside  the 
house  is  a  small  grove  of  orange-trees  which  supply  fresh  fruit  for 
the  breakfast  table  in  season.  Bananas,  large  and  luscious,  can  be 
])icked  in  the  back  yard.  On  the  whole  the  surroundings  are  ideal 
and  one  is  inclined  to  envy  the  fortunate  individual  whose  lot  has 
fallen  upon  such  pleasant  places  as  the  representative  of  the  United 
States. 

Across  the  way  from  the  American  Legation  is  a  magnificent 
building,  formerly  the  suummer  palace  of  Dom  Pedro,  but  now 
utilized  as  a  seminary  for  young  ladies.  There  are  several  semi- 
naries and  schools  in  Petropolis.  One  of  the  best  is  an  American  in- 
stitution under  the  auspices  of  the  Methodist  Church.  It  is  devoted 
to  the  education  of  girls  and  all  the  teachers  are  North  Americans. 
It  is  sustained  by  contributions  from  Methodist  women  of  the 
United  States.  The  building,  which  was  formerly  the  home  of  a  rich 
Brazilian,  is  situated  on  a  hill  above  the  town  which  gives  it  an  im- 


462  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

posing  look ;  the  location  is  very  healthy,  the  view  good,  the  teaching 
all  that  could  be  desired,  and  these  three  advantages  render  the  school 
very  popular  and  cause  it  to  be  well  attended. 

Formerly  the  education  of  women  was  at  a  low  ebb  throughout 
Brazil,  but  conditions  have  changed  of  late  years  and  now  the  girl 
is  as  well  looked  after  as  the  boy  in  regard  to  mental  equipment. 
Although  as  yet  there  are  no  **new  women"  in  Brazil  in  the  sense  we 
understand  the  term  in  London  or  New  York,  women  are  well  to  the 
front  and  taking  an  active  part  in  the  arena  of  every-day  life ;  situa- 
tions which  not  so  long  ago  they  were  deemed  unfit  to  fill  have  been 
thrown  open  to  them  and  in  many  cases  they  are  preferred  to  em- 
ployes of  the  other  sex.  There  are  girl  book-keepers,  stenographers, 
telegraph  and  telephone  operators,  accountants,  secretaries,  helpers 
in  financial  institutions  and  in  many  other  capacities,  which  ten  or  a 
dozen  years  ago  were  closed  to  them. 

Petropolis,  with  its  surroundings,  has  been  called  the  Switzerland 
of  Brazil,  and  the  comparison  is  not  inapt.  It  has  many  features 
which  recall  the  little  Alp  country  down  here  in  the  latitude  of  the 
Southern  tropic.  There  are  glens  and  glades,  gorges  and  defiles, 
woods  and  forests,  hills,  mountains  and  streams  which  bring  the 
memory  back  to  the  Alpine  scenery  on  the  Swiss  borders ;  only  snows 
and  glaciers  are  lacking  to  add  to  the  resemblance.  But  no  tem- 
perate climate  can  produce  such  coloring  and  such  varying  hues  of 
landscape  as  are  to  be  seen  here.  The  massive,  dense  tropical  vege- 
tation and  the  play  of  sunshine  and  shadow  cannot  be  duplicated  in 
northern  regions. 

The  narrow  streets  of  Petropolis  are  always  pleasantly  cool  and 
shady,  which  makes  a  visit  to  it  very  refreshing  after  the  heat  and 
glare  of  the  narrow  streets  of  Rio.  A  stream  of  water  flows  through 
the  town  and  this  is  crossed  in  several  places  by  red  bridges  which  fit 
in  well  with  the  general  color  scheme  of  the  houses  and  stores.  The 
air  is  exceptionally  pure  and  invigorating  and  the  place  is  said  to  be 
very  well  adapted  for  those  suffering  from  pulmonary  affections 
During  the  summer  months,  that  is  to  say,  from  December  to  April, 
it  is  quite  gay,  as  most  of  the  wealth  and  fashion  of  the  metropolis 
pay  a  visit  at  some  time  during  this  season.  The  President  and  most 
of  the  Ministry  have  villas,  and  there  is  an  interchange  of  social  life 
which  is  very  agreeable  and  pleasant. 

On  the  whole  Petropolis  is  a  place  well  worth  seeing  and  the 
visitor   carries   away   many   delightful    memories    not   only   of   the 


l^VREWELL  TO  RIO  AND  THE  SOUTHLAND      463 

scenery  and  general  surroundings  but  of  the  courtesy  of  the  people 
and  the  kindly  way  they  treat  the  strangers  within  their  gates. 

Returning  across  the  bay  from  Maua  we  experienced  a  sunset  that 
I  think  can  only  be  seen  in  this  latitude.  Here  the  great  golden 
orb  of  day  does  not  sink  slowly  down  to  the  western  horizon,  leaving 
long  streamers  of  light  behind,  as  in  temperate  lands,  to  prolong  the 
time  of  twilight,  but  suddenly  drops  as  it  were  beneath  the  rim  of 
earth  in  a  great  ball  of  glowing  color,  and  is  gone  before  you  are 
aware  that  day  has  ended  and  night  begun.     He  does  not  set, 

As  in  northern  climes  obscurely  bright, 

But   in   one   unclouded   blaze   of   living   light. 

As  we  looked  toward  the  mountains  behind  Rio  we  could  see  the 
clouds  aglow  with  crimson  and  purple,  blushing,  so  to  speak,  where 
the  god  of  day  had  imprinted  his  farewell  kiss  for  the  night,  but  in 
a  few  moments  the  colors  faded  and  somber  evening  came  down  cov- 
ering land  and  water  as  with  a  pall.  The  faint  twilight  was  so  short 
it  is  hard  to  describe.  It  was  not  the  poetical  hour  of  twilight,  when 
"fades  the  glimmering  landscape,"  but  merely  a  blink  of  gray  light 
between  the  passing  of  the  day  and  the  coming  of  the  night.  Pres- 
ently we  found  ourselves  sailing  in  intense  tropical  darkness.  Soon 
the  stars  of  the  southern  constellations  appeared  in  the  vault  above, 
scintillating  and  twinkling,  as  if  holding  conversation  with  the  places 
which  had  missed  them  during  the  day. 

One  day  we  made  a  trip  to  Tijuca  by  train.  This  village  lies  in  a 
gorge  known  as  the  Alto  da  Boa  Vesta,  which  is  eight  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  nearer  heaven  than  the  picturesque  city  of  Rio.  The  cool- 
ness and  shade  of  this  place  were  a  great  relief  from  the  hot  pave- 
ments of  the  city.  The  views  from  the  mountain  here  are  in  keeping 
with  those  from  the  other  vantage  points  round  about  the  city. 
Lovely  beyond  description  are  these  scenes  in  the  undulations  of  the 
forest-covered  hills ;  so  no  matter  how  facile  the  descriptive  pen  is 
it  can  never  do  them  justice  or  portray  them  as  they  are.  Some 
points  we  visited  on  this  trip  were  the  "Cachoeinna,"  or  little  cas- 
cade ;  "Cachoeira,"  or  greater  cascade ;  the  "Emperor's  Table"  and 
the  "Chinese  View."  From  the  last-mentioned  we  had  a  vista  cov- 
ering the  whole  city  of  Rio  with  all  its  hills  and  surrounding  moun- 
tains until  the  eye  rested  on  the  blue  waters  of  the  faraway  Atlantic. 

On  the  bay  across  from  Rio,  is  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Rio  de 
Janeiro.  This  is  Nictheroy,  a  town  of  about  30,000  inhabitants. 
Ferries  run  across  to  it  every  half  hour  or  so.    It  has  no  distinctive 


464  UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS 

features  to  distinguish  it  from  the  generaUty  of  South  American 
towns  of  the  same  size.  The  suburbs  of  Itajahy  and  Sacco  do  San 
Francisco,  on  the  shores  of  the  bay,  are  very  picturesque,  and  several 
of  the  well-known  business  men  and  capitalists  of  Rio  have  thefr 
homes  there. 

The  days  were  all  too  short  for  our  sight-seeing  rambles  through 
the  big  city  and  excursions  into  the  suburbs,  though  we  tried  to  uti- 
lize every  hour  to  the  best  advantage.  We  had  some  strenuous  times 
in  going  around,  and  were  always  glad  to  get  back  to  the  quietude 
of  our  hotel  under  old  Corcovado,  where  we  amused  ourselves  in  the 
evening  after  dinner  in  many  ways.  One  of  our  principal  pastimes 
was  catching  different  kinds  of  bugs  and  moths  in  specially  con- 
structed nets.  We  scared  the  insects  from  the  trees  in  the  grounds 
of  the  hotel,  and  as  they  emerged  into  the  electric  light  it  was  easy 
to  pounce  upon  them  with  our  nets.  Among  the  different  specimens 
captured  we  discovered  the  beautiful  moth-miller  which  is  peculiar 
to  this  place.  In  fact  an  entomologist  would  have  been  delighted 
with  the  results  of  our  efforts,  but  alas,  there  was  none  present  to 
classify  and  describe  our  tiny  prisoners,  so  in  most  cases  we  let 
them  go  back  to  the  trees  again.  The  amusement  was  novel  and 
more  or  less  exciting.  Can  any  of  our  home  hotels  afford  a  similar 
pastime  for  its  guests? 

When  wearied  with  this  form  of  entertaining  ourselves,  we  would 
sit  on  the  piazza  or  on  chairs  out  on  the  grounds  w^atching  the  thou- 
sands of  lights  sparkling  and  glittering  and  shimmering  and  scin- 
tillating from  the  towers  and  roofs  and  windows  and  streets  of  Rio, 
while  large  bats  circled  round  our  heads  and  the  cool  tranquilizing 
breeze  from  the  mountains  fanned  our  faces  like  the  waft  of  angels 
wings  in  the  evening  glow.  At  night  Rio  with  its  myriad  of  lights 
appears  from  a  distance,  like  some  enchanted  city  or  some  place 
sacred  to  gods  or  genii  where  the  denizens  of  other  worlds  hold  high 
carnival  for  the  envy  of  mortals.  As  we  looked  upon  it  lying  below 
us  as  in  a  basin,  a  gentleman  remarked  to  me :  *Tt  is  as  if  the  heavens 
were  inverted  with  the  stars  shining  up  from  a  concave  vault.'' 
That  modern  fairyland  of  lights  actually  fascinated  us ;  it  seemed 
as  if  each  light  was  a  mesmerizing  eye  which  brought  us  under  the 
power  of  its  enchantment.  The  scene  put  us  under  a  spell  and  lulled 
us  into  a  sort  of  dreamland  reverie  in  which  we  would  indulge  until 
the  leathery  wings  of  a  bat,  or  the  swish  of  a  night-miller  would 
awake  us  from  our  trance  to  the  actual  surroundings  and  discover 
to  us  that  the  hour  for  retiring  had  arrived. 


GATE  OF  CARIOCO  AQl'EDITCT,  RIO 


AT  TOP  OF  CORCOVADO,  RIO 


465 


FAREWELL  TO  RIO  AND  THE  SOUTHLAND      467 

At  last  the  day  of  parting  came  around  and  we  had  to  say  a  fond, 
but  let  us  hope,  not  a  last  farewell  to  beautiful,  never-to-be-forgotten 
Rio. 

"All  earthly  joys  must  pass  away, 
The  fairest  flowers  must  fade. 
To-day  must  give  to-morrow  place, 
Time  cannot  be  delayed." 

As  we  passed  out  of  the  harbor  the  sun  was  setting  in  radiant, 
glowing,  tropical  glory,  his  last  beams  blending  sky,  water  and  land 
in  a  picture  which  can  never  fade  from  the  memory.  A  glittering 
pathway  stretched  toward  the  west,  and  in  its  track  all  things  were 
fused  in  the  red  and  golden  tints  of  the  parting  sunlight.  It  was  a 
scene  worthy  of  the  land  we  were  leaving,  a  land  indeed  to  which 
the  words  of  the  old  navigator  when  addressing  his  sovereign  may 
be  fittingly  applied :  ''This  is  the  most  beautiful  land  eyes  ever 
beheld." 

With  prow  turned  toward  the  North  and  Home  the  Lamport  & 
Holt  steamer  Voltaire  cut  the  waves  of  the  blue  Atlantic  bearing  us 
away  from  lovely  Rio  and  its  enchanting  surroundings.  The  coast 
faded  from  view  in  the  dying  light  as  we  waved  back  the  parting 
"Adios." 


INDEX 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Along  the  Western  Coast    64-101 

Alpaca,  The   171 

Alps,  The  Maj  estic  1 

Anconcagna,   Mt 361 

Ancon,  Canal  Zone   55 

Hotel    Tivoli    61 

Andean   Huts    360 

Andean    Passes    360 

Andean    Scenery    350,  351 

Andean    Solitudes    361 

Antof ogasta,  Town  of    301,  302 

Export  Trade  of   301 

Arabia    2 

Arequipa  159,  165,  166,  171,  175 

Buildings    of    166 

Fruits  and  Plants    ....    166 

Harvard    Observatory    165 

Industries    of    171,  172 

Argentina    367 

Arica,  Town  of   298,  301 

Around  Rio   457-467 

Aspinwall    (Colon)    45 

Atahualpa,  The  Inca   94,   198,  205 

Butchery  of    205 

Ransom  offered  by    198 

Athens,    Hoary    2 

"Athens  of  the  South"    166 

Australia    2,  292 

Aymara    Indians    253 


Backbone  of  the  Andes    354 

"Balboa"    ( Vasco  Nunez)    68,    71 

Balsas,  Lake  Titicaca   230,  232 

"Banda    Oriental,"    The    398 

Bethlehem    2 

"Blackbeard,"  The  Buccaneer   44 

Blue  Mountains,  Jamaica   17 

Bolivar    151 

Bolognesi,   Col.    Francisco    108 

Botofogo,    Rio    426 

"Bower  of  the  Gods"    37 

Brazil    406-467 

Brazilian    Diamonds    449 

Brig    Nancy 26 


472  INDEX 

Buccaneers,    The    38-49 

Description  of    39,  40 

Origin   of    39 

Buenos    Aires    367-394 

Busy  Streets  of  370,  Z73 

Cemeteries    of     386 

"Conventillas"  of  the  poor  393 

CosmopoHtan    City    393 

Great  Trade  of    370 

Harbor  and  Docks  369,  370 

Hotels   and   Restaurants    Z77 

Importance    of    368 

Markets    of    389 

Milk    Shops 390 

Mortality   of    386 

Newspapers    of    382,  385 

Parks    of    378 

Police   of    394 

Population  of    369 

Public  Buildings   of    374 

Rank   and    Fashion    of    2t72) 

Residences    of     390 

Theaters  of  382 

University    of    386 

Water    Supply   of    390 


Cacray,  Town  of  148 

Cailloma,   Silver  Mines  of    176 

Callao  94,  101,  152 

Canal   Zone    46 

Supplies    for     46 

Caracoles,   Station  at   359 

Caribbean  Sea  7,    45 

Lands   Around    7 

Casapalca,    Town    of    148 

Cerro  de  Pasco,  Mines  of    151 

"Ceylon's    Lovely    Isle"    2 

Chagres  River  50,  57,  58 

Checacupe,   Town   of    184 

Chica,  Native  Liquor   160 

Chicla,  Town  of 148 

Chile     288-305 

Nitrate  "Fields"  293,  294,  297 

Rich  in  Minerals   297 

Chilean   Coast    291-293 

Chilean    Rotos    , 67 

Chimborazo,    Mt 7(i 

Chimu    Race    89 

China,    Jealous    2 

Chincha    Islands     154 

Guano   Deposits    154 

Cholo    Indians     267 

Chosica,  Town  of   142 

"Christ  the  Redeemer,"  Statue  of   362 

Chuno,  Frozen  Potatoes    223 

"City  of  the  Kings"  102-127 

City  of  Panama   62 

Houses   and    Streets    62 

Climbing  the  Andes    353 


INDEX  473 

Coati  Island,  Lake  Titicaca   " 237 

Coca,  The   Plant    166 

Colisseum,  The  2 

Colon,  Canal  Zone  45,  46,  49 

Columbia,    Coast   of    72 

Condor,  The  National  Bird   354,  359 

Coquimbo,   Town   of    302 

Cortez,    Hernando    50 

Cossack,   Home  of    2 

Costa  Rica    71 

Cotopaxi,    Mt 76 

Cousino,    Senora   Isadora    32t7 

Crossing  the  Andes  350-367 

Crucero    Alto,    183 

Highest    Railroad    Town    183 

Cuaca,  National  Dance   ZZl,  338 

Cuba 7,  8 

Curitiba,    Brazil    406 

Cuzco 175-224 

Ancient  Civilization  of    190 

Beginning  of    Incan   Era    190 

Bells    of    215 

Buildings  of  the  Present  223,  224 

Garden  of  the  Sun  205 

Glimpses  of  the  Past   189 

House  of  the  Virgins  205 

Incan    Palaces    197, 198 

Incan    Ruins    197 

Incan    Treasures    198 

Legends    190 

Manco    Capac    190 

Mama   Occla    190 

Modern   City,   The    216 

Origin  of  the  Incas   190 

Sacsahuaman    Fortress    206, 215 

Temple  of  the  Sun  197 

Cuzco,  Valley  of    184 

Fruits  from   184 

Davis,  Edward,  Buccaneer   71 

"Death  of  Atahualpa,"  The  Painting   107 

Death  of  "Balboa"   71 

De  Lesseps  and  the  Canal 51 

Desert  of  Islay  165 

Digging  the  Big  Ditch   50-63 

Distances  Saved  by  Canal 61 

Donkeys    171 

Down  the  West  Coast 64-101 

Ecclesiastical    Prerogatives,   Lima    107 

Ecuador    76-84 

Education,  Canal  Zone   57 

El   Misti,   Mt 160, 176 

Empire,    Canal   Zone    57 

Equator,  Crossing  the   75 

Eten,  Town  of   9i 

Euphrates  and  Tigris,  Valley  of  2 

Europe,  Byways  of 1 

European  Adventurers  and  Desperadoes   39 


474  INDEX 

"Fairyland  of  Flowers  and  Sunshine"   37 

Farewell   to   Rio    467 

Farms  of  Argentina  367 

"Fiesta"  Days   345 

"Flower  of  the  Antilles"  1-37 

Foothills  of  the  Andes  141 

Desolate  Appearance  of   141 

Forum,    The    Roman    2 

France,    Vivacious    1 

"France's    Folly" 52 

Freight  on  the  West  Coast  67 

"Freight  Train  of  the  Andes"  171 


Galera,  The    151 

Gatun  Dam,   Panama   Canal    61 

"Gem  of  the  Southern  Pacific"  327 

Germany,  Classic   1 

Gethsemane    2 

Gladstone,  W.  E 8 

Grace,  W.  R.  &  Co 134 

Grand  Divide,  The 183 

Great  South  American  Desert   84 

Greece,   Ancient    2 

"Gringos,"  Origin  of   302,  305 

Guano    154 

Guaqui    241 

Guayaquil,   City  of    Id,  80,    83 

Exports    of    83 

Importance  of   Port    83 

Guayas  River   75,    84 

Gulf   Stream    14 


Haiti,  Island  of 8 

Highest  Railroad    128,  151 

Hispaniola,  Natives  of  39 

Hope,  near  Kingston   13 

House  of  the  Virgins,  Cuzco  205 

Hygiene,  Canal  Zone   55 


Illimani,   Mt 238 

Incan  Capital 175-224 

Incas,  The  190,  216 

Children  of  the  Sun  190 

Garden  of  the  Sun  205 

Glory  and  Greatness  of    205 

Government  of   205 

House  of  the  Virgins  205 

Legends    of    190 

Manco   Capac    \,  190,*  233,  234 

Mama  Occlo    190,  233,  234 

On  Lake  Titicaca    190 

Origin   of 190 

Palaces   of    205 

Riches  of    198 

Skilled  in  Arts   216 

Temple  of  the  Sun  197^  205 

Treasures   of    198'^  234 

Virgins  of  the  Sun .".'. . , ,'  205 


INDEX  475 

India,  Occult   2 

Indian    Capital    175 

Indian    Huts    142 

Indians,  Cholo   148,  223 

Iodine     294 

Iquique 301 

Irving,    Washington    , 103 

Islay,  Desert  of   165 

Isthmian  Canal   7 

Itajahy    406 


Jamaica    8-37 

Agricultural    Districts    13 

Annotta    Bay    21 

Blue  Mountains    14,  26,  31 

Climate  of 13 

Constant  Springs  Hotel 31 

East   Indian  Coolies    18 

Education   in    8 

Golden  Vale  of    18 

"Nature-Woven  Lace"   31 

Negro  Insurrections   13 

Negro  Slavery  in  8 

Population   of    13 

Port   Antonio    14 

Port  Royal  Bay   21 

Products  of    25 

Rio  Grande    18 

St.  Margaret's  Bay   21 

St.  Mary's,  Blue  Hills  of 17 

Sugar  Plantations  of 8 

Wag- Water  River   21 

Japan,   Strange    2 

Juliaca    183,  229 

Hotel   Ratti    183 

Juncal,  Town  of 354 


Kingston,   Jamaica    25,  26 

Architecture  of    26 

Curio  Shops  31 

Energy  and  Bustle  of  25 

Healthy  City   26 

Hotel  Myrtle  Bank  25 

People  of    26 

Port  Royal 22,  38 

Port  Royal  Bay  22 

Public  Buildings  of  22 

Streets  and  Homes  of 26 

Kidd,  Captain    44 

Kaolin,  Fine  Sand  159 


La  Boca,  Harbor  of   68 

Lagoinha    , 426 

Lagunillas,  The  183 

"Land  of  Flowers"   14 

La   Paz    242-287 

Aymara  Indians    253 

Bull-fighting    280 


476  INDEX 

Carmelite  Nuns    261 

Climate  of    245 

Churches  of   254 

Danger  of  Violent  Exercise  246 

Games  of  Chance   268,  279 

Highest  City  in  the  World  245 

Houses   of 262 

Keeping  warm    246 

Markets  of    267,  268 

"Mountain    Sea-sickness"    246 

Quichua   Indians    253,  254 

Streets   of    245,  279 

Walls  of   242 

Lapland,   Bluffs   of    1 

La  Prensa,  newspaper,  Buenos  Aires  382,  385 

Building  and  Offices  of  382 

La  Serena,  Town  of  302 

Large  Trade  of   302 

Mines   near    302 

Lava    Tracts    160 

Lewis  Galdy,  Tomb  of  32 

Lima    102-127 

Archbishop   of    104 

Aspect  of  City   112 

Business   Hours    116 

Cathedral    112,  122 

Church    Feasts    120 

Church    Furnishings    122 

"City  of  the  Kings" 120-127 

Clubs  of  Ill 

Cosmopolitanism   of 116 

Deceptive  Appearance  of  115 

Dress  of  the  People 119 

Ecclesiastical   Prerogatives 107 

"Fiesta"  Days    120 

Flimsy  Architecture  of  115 

Founded  by  Pizarro   103 

Holy  Inquisition,  The 102 

Hotels   of 112 

House  of  the  Viceroys  102 

Lottery    Gambling    127 

National   Library    123 

Plaza  Mayor   104 

Population   of    116 

Public  Buildings  of   103,  122 

Rome  of  South  America,  The  120 

Rose  of  Lima,  Saint  101 

Santo  Domingo  Church   104 

Social  Set  of   Ill 

Stores  and  Shops  of   116 

Street  Peddlers  of  124 

Stronghold  of  Catholicism   120 

Taken  by  San  Martin    107 

Tomb  of  Pizarro   104 

University    of    123 

Women  and  Girls  of 119 

Line,  Crossing  the   75 

Liquor  of  Pisco  152 

Llai-Llai,  Town  of    352 

Llamas    171,  176 

Description  of  ....,,,..... ,,.,,,,,.,,,.,.,,,,, 171 


INDEX  477 

Nature  of   171 

L'Ollonois,  The  Buccaneer   40 

Los  Andes,  Station  352 

Los  Cuevas,  Station   365 

Los  Loros,  Station   354 

"Lost  Garden  of  Eden"  Zl 

Los  Vacas,  Station   365 

Lottery  Gamblers,  Rio   449 


Mama  Occlo    190,  233,  234 

Manco    Capac    190,  233,  234 

Mantas,  Feminine  Garments  223 

Mareo  Montana,    ("Mountain  Sea-sickness")    246 

Maroons    8 

Matucana,  Town  of    133,  145,  146 

McKenna,  Benjamin  Vicuna   2)2)2 

"Medanos,"    The 165 

Mediterranean,  The  1 

Meiggs,   Henry    128,  129,  130,  133 

Mendoza,  Town  of 365,  366 

An  Oasis  in  a  Desert   366 

Plentiful   Fruits    366 

Visited   by   Earthquake    366 

Mendoza  River  365 

Miraflores,  Panama  Canal  58 

Mollendo,  Port  of  154,  159,  288,  292 

Hotel  Ferrocarril   159,  288 

Importance  of   159 

Stormy  Harbor  of  154 

View    from    292 

Montbar,  The  Buccaneer    40 

Montevideo    397-405 

Architecture    of    401 

Around  the  Bay  of  404 

Aspect  of  the  City 401 

Beautiful  Villas  of   404 

Beautiful  Women  of  405 

Emporiums  and  Shops  406 

Healthy  Location  of  398 

Hotels  of    403 

Nomenclature  of    402 

Pamperos    (Winds)     401 

Population  of    401 

Public  Buildings  of 403,  404 

Social   Intercourse    402 

Suburbs  of    405 

Theaters  of  403,  404 

University  of   405,  406 

Well-Dressed  Citizens  of    405 

Morgan,  Captain  Henry,  Buccaneer   40 

Mt.    Blanc    1 

Mt.  of  Olives   2 

Nancy,  The  Brig  26 

Naples,  Bay  of    1 

"Nature-Woven  Lace"    31 

Nazareth    2 

Negroes,  West  Indian    7 

Nictheroy,  Town  of 216 


478  INDEX 

Nimble  Nymphs   30 

Nitrate  "Fields,"  Chile   *.'.". .  ........*...'.'.".*.'.'.'.'.' .'.*.'293,  294 

O'Connell,  Daniel  g 

Olives 13 

Organ  Mountains .419  461 

Orient,  The   \  ....... . . .  2 

Oroya  Railroad ,66-151 

Branch  Line  of 134 

Bridges  of 130 

Cost  of  Construction 130 

Difficulty  of  Construction  *  *  ]  130 

Galera  Tunnel 134 

Steep  Grades  of 137 

Wastes  of  Desolation  Seen  From 141 

Ostriches Z67 

Palestine 2 

Pampas,  The   , I60 

Panama,  Burning  of  City  of   43 

Panama  Canal   50-63 

A  Deadly  Region  57 

Attacked  by  the  French  SI 

Big  Shovels  on  57 

Commissariat   Department    : 58 

Completion  of  1914  58 

Cost  in  Men  and  Money 52   53 

Culebra  Cut   57,  58 

Mileage  Saved  by 58 

Number  of  Laborers  Engaged  56,  57 

Panama  Hats       76,  79 

"Paradise  of  the  Pacific"   2 

Parangua,   Brazil    406 

Pascamayo,  Town  of    93,  94 

Payta,  Port  of 89 

A  Rainless  Region  90 

Harbor  of  90 

Legends  of   93 

Market  Place  of  93 

Streets  of  90 

Water-carriers  of  96 

Pearl    Islands    71 

"Pearl  of  the  Antilles"   8 

Pedro  Miguel,  Panama  Canal  58 

Penn,  Admiral    8 

Persia    2 

Peru      89-111 

Chimu  Race  of  89 

Developing  Industries  of  108 

Emerging  from  the  Shadow 108 

Gallant  Resistance  of   108 

Increasing  Value  of  Exports  Ill 

Shore   Line  of    84 

Spanish  Conquerors  of  89 

Spirit  of  the  Past Ill 

Spoliation  of 108 

Stronghold  of  Catholicism  120 

Taking  on  New  Life Ill 

Treasures  of    89 


INDEX  479 

War  with  Chile  107 

Wounds  of  the  Past  Ill 

Vanished  Glory  of  108 

Pisagua,  Port  of  301 

"Peter  the  Great,"  Buccaneer    40 

Petropolis,  City  of   457-462 

Don  Pedro's  Palace 461 

Home  of  the  Legations  461 

Streets  of   462 

Philippines,  The   2 

Pierola,  Attacks  Lima   Ill 

Pisco,  Port  of  152 

Country  Around  153 

Fruits  of 153 

Liquor  of 152 

Mule    Tramways    152 

Piura,  Cotton  Center 90 

Pizarro 84,  94,  103,  104,  152,  198,  205,  206 

Port  Antonio,  Jamaica  17,  18,  21 

Blue  Hole,  Near  21 

Blue  Mountain  Range   17 

Cane  Fields  Around  18 

East  Indian  Coolies 18 

Folly  Point  Lighthouse 18 

Golden  Vale  18 

Harbor   of 17 

Hotel    Titchfield    14,     18 

People  of 18 

Population  of    17 

St.  Mary's  Blue  Hills  17 

Tropical  Scenery   17 

Porto  Rico  8 

Poverty  at   Panama 62 

Puna,  Island  of 84 

Puno,   Town   of 229,  230 

Puno  and  Arequipa  Railroad   175 

Costliest  Ever  Constructed  175 


Queen  Moon    237 

Queen  Victoria  Lily   22 

Quichua  Indians    223,  253 

Quichua   Language    223 

Quinua,   Fruit    175 

Quito,  City  of  75 

Railroad  from  Valparaiso  to  Santiago  328 

Resguardo,  Station  at    354 

Rhine,  The  Blue    1 

"Ridge  of  the  Penitents"   365 

Rimac  River  128,  138,  142,  148 

Rio  Aconcagua   River    353 

Rio  de  Janeiro 414-456 

Around  and  About  the  City  457,  458 

Beauty  of  Harbor    414-419 

Botanic  Gardens   443 

Botofogo    446 

Cafes  of    449 

Corcovado  425,  458,  464 

Flowers  and  Plants  444 


480  INDEX 

Great  Progress  of  432 

History   of    431,  432 

Hotels  of 425,  426 

Hunchback  Mountain   431 

Languages  Spoken  437 

Lottery    Gamblers 449 

Lovely  Vistas    426 

Monroe  Palace   444 

Public  Buildings   432,  437,  455 

Red  Roofs  of 420 

Sanitary  Improvements    425 

Santa  Theresa 425,  431 

Stores  of 449 

Streets  of    425,  437,  450 

Street  Names  450 

Street    Peddlers    438 

Street    Scenes    438 

Suburban  Scenery    426 

Sugar  Loaf  Mountain   420,  425,  426 

Rio  Grande,  Port  of  Southern  Brazil   »  406 

Roberts,  Captain  Bartholomew,  Buccaneer '   44 

Rodney,  Admiral    32 

Rome,    Imperial    2 

Rome  of  South  America,  The  120 


Sacsahuaman  Fortress,  Cuzco   215 

View   from    215,  216 

Salaverry,  Town  of   93,     94 

San  Bartholome,  Town  of    145 

San  Francisco  by  way  of  the  Horn 51 

San  Martin,  General,  March  of   365 

Santa  Lucia,  Rock  of    331 

Beauty    of     331,332 

View   from    332,  335 

Santa  Theresa,  Rio   425,  431 

Santiago    327-349 

Approach  to  City 328 

Bower  of  Beauty   331 

Churches  of  332 

Climate  of 346 

"Fiesta"  Days    345 

Homes  of  the  Wealthy   336,  33^     -M 

Horse   Racing 538 

Markets  of  345 

Metropolitan  City  of  the  Andes   328 

National    Dances    341 

Newspapers  of    346 

Park  of  Santa  Lucia  338 

Public  Buildings  of 341,  342 

Railroad  from  Valparaiso  328 

Santa  Lucia   331 

Shops  and  Stores  of   341 

Streets  of 336 

View  from  Santa  Lucia 338 

Santa  Rosa,  Town  of  352 

Santos,  Coffee  Port  of  Brazil  409,  410 

Sao  Francisco,  Brazil   406 

Sao  Paulo,  Brazil  409,  410 

Sargasso  Sea 14 

Savannas,   Broad    7 


INDEX  481 

Secuani,   Town  of    184,  185 

"Shark    Papers,"    The    26 

Shovels  at  Panama   57 

Sicily,  Sufferers  of   25 

Slave  Stations,  Africa 8 

"Soldier's  Leap,"  The  354 

Sorata,  Mt 230,  IZl 

Sorroche,  Mountain  Sickness 146,  147,  148,  175 

Antidotes   for    147 

Southern  Brazil,  Shores  of  406 

Southern  Cross,  The 2,  72,  75,  292 

Southern  Railroad  of  Peru 159 

Spain,  Romantic   1 

Spaniards    7 

Spanish  Laborers,  C.  Z 57 

Spanish  Privateers  39 

Spanish  Town,  Jamaica  31 

Sparrow,  the  English  Cutter 26 

Steamboat  Cova,  Lake  Titicaca 230 

St.   Rase  of  Lima 107 

Sumbay,  Town  of 176 

Switzerland,    Rugged    1 


Tacna,    Province   of    301 

Taltal,  Port  of    302 

Tarapaca,  Province  of   301 

Teach,  English  Buccaneer 44 

Temple  of  the  Sun,  Cuzco 197,  205 

Tihuanaco    287 

Monolithic  Doorways  of   287 

Monolithic  Stones  of 287 

Monolithic  Idols  of  287 

Antiquarian  Interest  of 287 

Tijuca,  near  Rio    463 

Titicaca,  Lake   229-241 

Balsas  on  230,  232 

Coati    Island    237 

Commerce  of  238 

Imports  and  Exports  Carried  Across   238 

Island  of    230,234 

Legends  of  2?>7 

Palaces  of 234 

Plateau  of    229 

Steamboat  Coya   229 

Tomb  of  Pizarro   103 

Tortuga,  Island  of 39 

Transandine   Road    350,  352 

Tropical   Glades    14 

Truxillo,  Town  of  94 

Tumbez,  Port  of   84 

Turk,  Land  of  the  2 


Ugarte,  Alfonso 108 

University,  First  in  Western  World   103 

University  of  Montevideo   405,  406 

Uruguay   397 

Cattle  of   401 

Checkered  History  of   397,  398 


482  INDEX 

Climate  of  398 

Productions  of 398 

Valdera,  Town  of 302 

Valparaiso   306-324 

A  City  on  Hills 307 

Ascensors 307 

Barrancas    • 307 

Busiest  Port  of  South  America   314 

Climate  of    320 

Clubs  of 311,  312 

Customs  and  Manners  of 313 

Divisions  of    308,  311 

Earthquake,  The  Awful 320,  323 

Girl  Street-car  Conductors  317 

Great  Trade  of 317 

Harbor  and  View  of   318 

Hospitals  of  31? 

-Malecon,"   The    319 

Newspapers  of 320 

Par  of  Exchange  in 319 

Public  Buildings  of 307 

Residences  of    311 

Royal  Hotel  319 

Streets  of .308,  311,  318 

Unique  Site  of 307 

Water  and  Water-works  of    ,  307 

Van  Home,  the  Buccaneer  43 

Venables,  Admiral    8 

Verruga,  Pestilence  of  133 

Vesuvius,  Mt 1 

Vicuna,  The  171 

Vilcamayu  River 184 

Vina  del  Mar,  Valparaiso  323 

War  Between  Chile  and  Peru   107 

Wart- Water  Bridge 145 

Watling's   Island    14 

West  Indies   7 

West  Indian  Negroes  at  Panama  56 

Western  Australia,  Barren  Stretches  of  160 

World,  On  the  Roof  of 151 

Yellow  Fever  ("Yellow  Jack")    51,  425 

"Yerba  Mate"   (Paraguayan  Tea)    378 


LOAN  DEPT. 

Th,.  K  "!'."r«*  ONIY-TEI.  NO.  Ma^oS 


-#J^ 


%o 


j*ao:69:4pj^ 


,  LD21A-40m-2  '69 
(J6057sl0)476-A32 


.General  Library 

Umversity  of  California 

Berkeley 


J 


'^mmm' 


